Jonathan M. Holtfreter is the inventor of the Trombone SpineSaver™ Performance Stand.  He began trombone studies in the 5^th grade in the Ann Arbor Public Schools and, under the private instruction of Charles J. Gabrion, rose to the top of his section in both junior high school and high school band and orchestra.  He auditioned for the University of Michigan School of Music and was admitted immediately following his audition.

Mr. Holtfreter played in the Concert Band and Symphony Band and was a member of the Michigan Marching Band for all four years of his undergraduate degree - - including a trip to the Rose Bowl with the marching band.  He graduated with high distinction and was elected a member of the Society of Pi Kappa Lambda, Chi Chapter.  Upon graduating, he became a member of The Galliard Brass Ensemble brass quintet out of Ann Arbor, Michigan.  The quintet gave concerts around the state and was invited to the Southeast Council for the Arts concert series in Vermont as well as the Brunch with Bach series at the Detroit Institute of Arts.  He recorded three albums of brass quintet literature arranged by Richard Price with the Galliard Brass Ensemble, the third album of which included guest artists Armando Ghitalla of the Boston Symphony, Corbin Wagner of the Detroit Symphony, Catherine Leach, Professor of Trumpet at the University of Tennessee and George Troia of the Michigan Opera Theatre.   The albums have been played extensively on WUOM, WKAR and WDET in Michigan and CBC Radio Canada for the past twenty-five years.

Mr. Holtfreter has been a private instructor of trombone, euphonium and tuba for thirty-seven years.  His students have won numerous concerto competitions on trombone and tuba, have ranked at the top of all state-wide trombone soloists three times in the last ten years, are consistent leaders in the Ann Arbor Huron and Pioneer High School bands and orchestras, as well as the Michigan Youth Band, Youth Orchestra, the Detroit Civic Orchestra and the Michigan Youth Arts Festival Band and Orchestra.  He is the founder and director of The Ann Arbor Trombone Choir, the only twelve-member high school trombone choir in the state.  His students have won, collectively, over $100,000 in scholarships for music schools at Indiana University, Wooster College, Michigan State University, Central Michigan University and The University of Michigan as well as having a first-place winner in the Eastern Trombone Workshop National Solo Competition and finalist in the International Trombone Association Solo Competition held in Arhus, Denmark.

After serving as a band, jazz band and orchestra director in various public and private school districts for thirty-two years, Mr. Holtfreter recently retired from public school teaching to pursue publication of his instructional texts for the studio music teacher, available for view at ­musicstudycycles.com, and to continue his studio teaching.