NGSGM Faculty

Stephen Butler, Director

Stephen is a 2003 graduate of Atlanta Baptist College. He holds a degree in Theology with proficiencies in Church Music and Youth Ministries. He spent nine summers attending the Stamps-Baxter School of Music in Nashville, TN. Stephen studied piano privately for 17 years, and has now been teaching piano privately for more than 20 years. He is the Co-Pastor at Bible Baptist Church in Monroe, GA where his focus is the Music Ministry and Youth Ministry.  Stephen began serving at Bible Baptist in 2001.   He teaches annually at the Steve Hurst School of Music in Nashville, TN, and travels extensively teaching music and conducting choir clinics.  Stephen is an accomplished songwriter, arranger, and performer. Stephen has been married to his wife Stacie since 2004. They now have 3 daughters Rebekah, Bethany and Adrienne.

Rev.  Greg Butler – Private Lesson Instructor

Pastor Butler graduated from Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC in 1974 with a B.A. in Practical Christian Training with a proficiency in music.  He is the Pastor of Bible Baptist Church of Monroe, Ga, where he has served since 1977.  Pastor Butler is quite the accomplished guitarist.  He was crowned as the Georgia Champion Guitar player in 1993 and again in 1997.  He married his wife Judy in 1976.  They have two sons—Joel and Stephen, and have been blessed with five beautiful grandchildren.  He has been on the faculty of NGSGM for five years.

Rev. Adam Borden – Staff Musician/Private Lesson Instructor 

Adam Borden was born May 7, 1972 and was saved July 13, 1978. Adam’s musical instruction began at 8 years of age when his father, Lloyd, began to teach him Bass and Acoustic Guitar simultaneously.  Adam played bass for his family from that time forward and became bass accompanist at their home church at age 12. At age 16 he was asked to join his first southern gospel group made up of college friends of his sister, Natasha. From that point Adam played with a number of part-time and full-time gospel music artists as a sideman, live and in the recording studio. A partial list would include the Singing Ambassadors, Gold City, Kings-Gold, Gaither Vocal Band, Jimmy Fortune, Dailey & Vincent, Brian Free & Assurance, The Wilburns, The Lesters, The Lefevre Quartet and more. He has also appeared as a sideman on the National Quartet Convention, Grand Ole Opry, The Ryman Auditorium, The Gaither Homecoming Tour, The Earnest Tubb Midnight Jamboree, and the North Georgia School of Gospel Music. He is a member of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame as a member of Gold City.  Adam studied music at the Stamps Baxter School in 1991, and majored in Commercial Music at Snead State Community College and the University of North Alabama where he was a member of the College Chorus and took private guitar lessons. Adam has been teaching private online Bass and Acoustic guitar lessons for the past 4 years through his online instruction service, Basstime Online.  Adam and his family are members of Wahoo Baptist Church in Murrayville, GA. Their family is in full time evangelistic ministry preaching and singing with his daughters Abigail (piano & vocals), and Adelyn (bass & vocals), with Adam on guitar and vocals. The Borden family has been part of the NGSGM for the past 5 schools. Adam’s late wife Angel was dorm coordinator and assistant to Michelle Pirkle for the past several schools. Adam is also a member of the NGSGM general board of directors.

Emily Forster – Classroom Instructor

Emily was raised in a Christian home and saved at the age of six. She attended West Coast Baptist College and received her Bachelor’s in piano performance. She married Sam in 2018, and they have two sweet kids, Selah and Cooper. Emily has enjoyed teaching private piano lessons since her senior year of high school. She also loves hunting and coffee!

Jessica Myers-Dockery – Classroom Instructor 

Jessica attended NGSGM for several years prior to returning as a teacher in 2007. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Georgia and a Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Georgia State University. Jessica has many years of experience as a choir director and currently serves as a pianist and vocalist at her church. She and her husband, Stephen, reside in Athens with their children, Violet and Thurston.

Sam Forster – Classroom Instructor

Sam was raised in a Christian home and was saved at the age of 12. He attended West Coast Baptist College and received his Bachelors and Masters in Music with a proficiency in piano and choral directing. He and his wife Emily have two kids and enjoy serving in the music ministry at People’s Baptist Church. Sam enjoys playing sports and is passionate about ice cream.

Ginger Johnson – Classroom Instructor

Ginger grew up in North Carolina, surrounded by music as she traveled with her parents’ Southern gospel quartet. She learned to sing and play the piano at a young age and began participating in the music ministry of her home church during elementary school. Ginger started attending summer music schools, including NGSGM, in 1993. She attributes much of her musical knowledge to these schools and the dedicated faculty and staff who spent their summers teaching others the joy of music. She holds an associate’s degree in music, as well as a bachelor’s degree from Liberty University in Interdisciplinary Studies, with emphases on music, religion, and business. Ginger is a pastor’s wife and participates in church music as pianist and soloist. Ginger, along with her husband Allen, and their two daughters, Gracie and Rebekah, currently reside in Boaz, Alabama.

Justin Myers – Classroom Instructor

Justin first attended NGSGM in 1988. He was later a student at the Texas Southern Gospel School of Music and Ben Speer’s Stamps Baxter School of Music. He has written a number of convention songs and has been teaching at summer music schools since 2008. Justin holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in early childhood education and has been teaching at the elementary level for 20 plus years. He is currently the music teacher at Sharon Elementary School in Walton County.  

Nancy Vaughan –  Private Lesson Instructor

Nancy started piano lessons at age 4 taking from her sister, Rebecca Fagan. She studied under Rebecca for 20+ years. Rebecca taught piano at NGSGM for many years until her death in 2007. Nancy grew up attending convention-style singings with her family. She began playing at singings and in church by age 9 and appeared on “The LeFevre’s” TV show playing a piano solo at age 9. She has attended music schools taught by the late Hyman Brown, Rev. Rupert Cravens and others teaching shaped-note music and harmony classes. She has played for several churches in the Forsyth County area where her husband has been pastoring since 1987. She currently is teaching private piano lessons part-time while also operating her 30 year beauty salon. She and her husband, Larry, reside in Cumming, Georgia. They have 2 daughters, the late Leah Pruitt and Anita (Tommy) Weldy along with 4 grandchildren and one great granddaughter. Nancy joined the Staff as a Private Piano Instructor at NGSGM in 2008.

Janet Wooten – Classroom Instructor 

Janet S. Wooten, a native of Conyers, GA.  Mrs. Wooten is entering her twenty third year of teaching as a music educator and her third year with Richmond Hill High School. She has experience in elementary and middle school music as well as private voice lessons. Mrs. Wooten received her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Shorter College and her Master’s degree in Vocal Pedagogy from Texas Woman’s University. Mrs. Wooten enjoys spending time throughout the school year mentoring new music educators entering the education field and she has served as a guest clinician for honor choirs in the Coastal Empire. Mrs. Wooten previously served as Artistic Director of the Savannah Children’s Choir and had the amazing opportunity to lead the choir in performing the Faure Mass in the Notre Dame Cathedral.  Aside from her school experiences, Mrs. Wooten serves as one of the accompanists at Bible Baptist Savannah and leads a special needs class in the Awana program. She is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), National Association for Music Education (NAME) and Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA). Mrs. Wooten is married to Jody Wooten and they have three children: James, Jaci and Joseph.

Nelson Bailey – Classroom Instructor

A native of northeast Alabama, Nelson grew up in a musical home and developed a love for singing and playing the piano at an early age.  He had the opportunity to attend six different summer music schools (including NGSGM) as a youth, and attributes much of his music education to his music school experiences.  As an adult, Nelson was honored to be asked to teach at three of those schools (including NGSGM).  He also served as director of the Southern Gospel Music School of America in Chattanooga, Tennessee, from 2008-2010.  Nelson obtained his undergraduate degree in accounting from Bob Jones University and then obtained his master’s in accounting from the University of Alabama. Nelson is a certified public accountant.   Nelson has been a private piano teacher and is an accomplished songwriter.  He currently resides in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with his wife Kaylene and daughters, Faith and Reagan.

Stacie Butler – Classroom Instructor

Stacie is a 2003 graduate of Atlanta Baptist College. She has been married to Stephen since 2004 and is the mom of three girls. After 10 years as a preschool teacher, Stacie stepped away from the classroom to homeschool her daughters. She serves in various capacities at Bible Baptist Church in Monroe, GA. As a pastor’s wife, her work and ministry are never through. In her spare time, she operates Holliday Farms, where she grows and sells fresh cut flowers.

Olivia “Livy” Collingsworth – Classroom Instructor

Olivia grew up in Canton, GA, and began attending NGSGM at a young age. After high school, she pursued her music education degree at the University of Mobile, where she toured with incomparable Voices of Mobile. She has performed at Carnegie Hall in NYC and she has lead worship in some of America’s largest churches and in countries such as Cuba, Romania, and United Kingdom. This extensive platform experience provided a confident presence on stage which she instills in the group she now directs, Sofree. Sofree is an all-female small, touring ensemble in Alabama School of the Arts comprised of Freshman-Senior girls majoring and minoring in music. Livy is an accomplished real estate agent and she resides in Mobile, AL with her husband James, and their daughter, Everly.

Leah Lamb Dickey – Private Lesson Instructor

Leah Lamb Dickey has been part of the NGSGM Faculty for three years.  We are honored to have Leah on our team along side her husband, Jonathan and mother, Kathi Lamb.  Leah has won many awards and scholarships in vocal and violin performance.  She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Music Education. Mrs. Dickey has been teaching violin, voice and choral music for more than 17 years.

Leah also serves with her husband in the music ministry of Glen Iris Baptist Church. If asked, she would tell you that she is a follower of Jesus Christ, the proud wife of Jonathan Dickey and blessed mother of Jackson, Elliot, Mary Katherine and Sarah Jordan.

Jonathan Dickey – Classroom Instructor

Jonathan Dickey is passionate about church music and has been privileged to serve as the minister of music at Glen Iris Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama since 2006.  Jonathan graduated with a B.A. in Music Ministry from Crown College in 2002, and a M.A. in Music from Crown College in 2005.  He also studied orchestration at Berklee College of Music.  Jonathan also works as a real estate agent in the Birmingham area.   He is married to Leah, and they have four beautiful children:  Jackson, Elliot, Mary Katherine and Sarah Jordan.

Alisha Herlong – Classroom Instructor 

Alisha Herlong is a native of Rabun Gap, Georgia and attended North Georgia School of Gospel Music for 7 years as a student. Once convention style music began to surge in her veins she was hooked! She furthered her love for music and graduated in 2001 from Western Carolina University with a Bachelors of Science in Music Education (vocal emphasis). In 2020, Alisha earned her Master’s Degree in Technology Integration from Nova Southeastern University.  Upon graduation she returned to teach summers at the North Georgia School of Gospel Music minus one year off to care for her son. She has taught general music, choir and band in public and private schools for 18 years. In 2004 she married her God given soul mate, Robert Herlong, and they have been blessed with two boys, Bill and Max. The family resides near Beaufort, South Carolina and Alisha teaches at Step of Faith Christian Academy in Ridgeland, South Carolina. Alisha and her family are members of Sheldon Baptist Church in Sheldon, South Carolina.

Kathi Lamb –  Private Lesson Instructor

A native of Birmingham, Alabama, the wife and daughter of a pastor, Kathi LeGrand Lamb knew from a very early age that the music of the church would be her lifelong calling. She graduated with a B.A. in Sacred Music from Tennessee Temple University (1980), and a M.A. from Samford University in Church Music (1989). Piano, voice, organ, arranging, composing and choral music have filled her teaching ministry for over 40 years. Her students have won many state and national awards. Kathi has taught at many music schools over the years such as Steve Hurst School of Music and  the West Jacksonville Baptist Church Music School.  Since 1980,  Kathi has been the Fine Arts Coordinator at Glen Iris Baptist School in Birmingham and organist at Glen Iris Baptist Church.  Chris and Kathi’s two children and their spouses plus 9 ‘dahlins’ are all musicians.  The theme of her teaching through the years is Ps. 150:6 “Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.”

Jason Myers – Classroom Instructor 

Jason, a native of Loganville, Georgia, came to NGSGM in the summer of 1988 as a student and fell in love with convention singing. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of Georgia with an emphasis in voice. Jason is a is a published songwriter and private voice, organ & piano teacher. Jason is the chorus teacher at Newton Conover High School where he also teaches piano.  Jason joined the Staff at NGSGM in 2000. Jason & his wife, Maria, and their three children Isaac, Ella & Avery, live in Maiden, North Carolina.

Maria Myers – Classroom Instructor 

Maria has a Masters Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Appalachian St. University. She is currently a speech pathologist in the North Carolina School System. Maria has attended over five different music school across the southeast. She has been on staff for NGSGM since 2004.  She and Jason serve at Cornerstone Church in Maiden, NC where Maria assists with the choir, youth praise band and sings on the praise team.  Jason is a musician and also sings with the praise team at Cornerstone.

Nicole Wasendorf – Classroom Instructor 

Nicole has been continuously involved in Southern Gospel music since her days as a student at the North Georgia School of Music in Cleveland, Georgia. She holds an Associate’s Degree in music from Perimeter College of Georgia and a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Georgia. Nicole has taught several years at summer music schools and has been a private piano instructor for over 30 years. Nicole has taught at NGSGM for several years since 2007.   Nicole also shares her love of music working with the youth choir at her church. Nicole currently resides in Rutledge, Georgia, with her husband, Tommy, two daughters, Lindsey and Leslie and two sons Luke & Leo.  In 2021, Nicole and Tommy welcomed their first grandson, Alex and the NGSGM Board welcomed Nicole’s husband, Tommy, as a board member.

Michelle Pirkle, Administrator

Michelle and her husband Joey, along with their two daughters reside in Cumming, Georgia.  Michelle grew up attending convention-style singings and in fact met her husband at a singing.  Michelle holds a Bachelor’s degree in Dental Hygiene and is currently Manager of Clinical Operations for Johns Creek Dental Care where she handles purchasing and ordering in addition to practicing dental hygiene.  Michelle’s passion lies within church music, specifically with church choirs.  Michelle has conducted many choir workshops, served as Minister of Music, and is currently the director of children and student music at First Baptist Church in Cumming, Ga.  Michelle joined NGSGM as the schools administrator in 2017.