1. 1550 Owens Store Road
Canton, GA 30115
March 20, 2012
Judges, Senior Project
Creekview High School
1550 Owens Store Road
Canton, GA 30115
Dear Judges:
My name is Taylor Faulring; I am a native Georgian and have lived in Cherokee County
my whole life. Being from this area of the south, bluegrass music has been very
prominent in my life. At the age of eleven I picked up playing the five string banjo.
Starting the senior project, I wanted to link the banjo to my project, thus choosing to
build a five string bluegrass banjo. Since then I have grown in my musical abilities with
music throughout my high school career. After high school I plan to follow in my
brother’s and father’s shoes and commission a career in the Marine Corps as an aviation
mechanic.
By building a banjo I was able to learn about the many components that over many years,
innovators of the banjo have incorporated into the instrument. Innovation of the
instrument ties into my research paper about the origins of the banjo. From Africa to
Appalachia, the banjo has gone from a tribal instrument to being played in hillbilly string
bands. I had to first decide what type of banjo to build, second decide the parts I was
going to use and third decide how the instrument would develop overall.
The career that is related to the construction of a banjo is a wood instrument luthier.
Through my experience with this build I discovered the complexity and preciseness of
working with wood and the difficulties of completing an instrument. As I started this
project I found out the importance of scheduling and setting dates for completion of
certain parts of the banjo. This not only helped me with the banjo but also with school
work and real life applications. My desire to pursue a career as a luthier is minimal, as
there is not much of a demand for them and work is sparse, but later on I will likely build
banjos for a hobby.
From the start of this project to the finish of the banjo I enjoyed working with my hands
to build a product that I will be able to enjoy for many years to come. Not only did I build
something that has always interested me, but it also let me build on my knowledge of the
banjo. In conclusion, I appreciate your time and interest in my project.
Sincerely,
Taylor Faulring