Ryan Harlin is a songwriter, producer, and music educator whose compositions have been featured in popular gaming franchises like League of Legends, Dancing With the Stars Home Edition, Riot Games’ Valorant, and whose work has been profiled in Rolling Stone, Smithsonian Magazine, as well as The Bluegrass Breakdown.

Ryan holds a degree in music technology from the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts, where he was awarded the prestigious Phillip Holt Prize by Sir Paul McCartney. He has since collaborated with artists as diverse as dance music legend Paul Van Dyk and banjo icon Kermit the Frog, and in his role as senior creative executive for Reason Studios Ryan has earned tens of millions of views on YouTube—and praise from chart topping producers like Ian Kirkpatrick, Toro Y Moi, Key Wane, and Ali Payami—with his instructional videos about the essence of songwriting.

Ryan’s banjo style is a blend of old time technique and modern folk, with bluegrass, roots, and even pop influences. Notable banjo players like Tom Collins, Joe Newberry, Mark Schatz, and Steve Baughman have cited Ryan’s accuracy, tone, and musicality as his greatest strengths. On stage, Ryan was recently featured at the California Bluegrass Associations 49th Annual Father’s Day Festival in Grass Valley, CA for two sets of bluegrass standards as well as his own original songs.

More than anything however, Ryan enjoys helping people in their quest to make music with others, which has led to him being a regular instructor at Walker Creek Music Camp and the California Bluegrass Association’s Summer Music Camp. Ryan’s intensive classes and electives consistently fill to capacity and are frequently cited as the highlight of the camp experience by students.