Listen above for KHOL’s full conversation with Ben Winship and Thomas Sneed.
Rodney Crowell was getting ready to play a set by himself in Grand Targhee Resort’s cozy Trap Bar and Grill. The Texas-born songwriter was two minutes away from taking the stage one summer during the Targhee Music Bluegrass Festival. Then, he felt the urge to bring a few musicians up to accompany him. The folks he pulled out from the crowd just so happened to be the members of The Infamous Stringdusters. This is the type of unplanned musical magic of Targhee Music Camp, said camp founder Ben Winship.
2025 marks the 17th year of Targhee Music Camp, which aims to provide students with an unforgettable opportunity to collaborate with world-class musicians, connect with nature and inspire them beyond just sheet music. Camp runs Aug. 4-7, culminating in the Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival, which has been around since 1988.
From the foothills of Appalachia to the shadows of the Tetons, bluegrass goes well beyond the technical skills of flatpicking or vocal harmonizing. “Folk,” as the name implies, is designed to be made, played and enjoyed by everyday people.
The community at Targhee Music Camp is as organic and grassroots as the music itself, Winship said, having grown from a humble 17 students in 2007 to around 130 largely by word of mouth.
Finding talented teachers, he said, is its own trick.
“Everyone learns at different rates, which is one of the challenges of teaching a class with different abilities,” Winship said.
Every summer, instructors lead classes in primary instruments like mandolin, guitar, banjo, fiddle, bass and occasionally the dobro.
“There’s a lot of incredible musicians who are lousy at teaching,” Winship said, “and there’s a lot of mediocre musicians who are fabulous communicators.”
Current camp director Thomas Sneed said those skills come alive during late-night jam sessions at Targhee Music Camp. Impromptu sit-ins are commonplace, allowing instructors an opportunity to cut loose and show off what they do best.
Part of the magic comes from the camp’s remote setting. A touring artist has to intentionally go out of their way to make it up to Grand Targhee, about 20 minutes drive from Driggs, Idaho. Once they arrive at camp, Sneed said, “they take a deep breath and realize, ‘I want to make the most of it.’” That wonder is what keeps folks coming back.
The camp offers classes for all ages and ability levels, with community-funded scholarships available for the $975 price tag.
If students leave with a broader network of musicians, a renewed sense of creative purpose, and a few new flashy bluegrass licks, then Winship and Sneed have done their jobs. “You don’t have to try to be the greatest in the world,” to have a good time, Sneed said.
