On Norwell Cares Day, September 20, 2019, Norwell high school students joined Handshouse Studio for a one-day workshop making historic gourd banjos.

This was the second year that Handshouse has welcomed sophomores from Norwell High School to join The Banjo Project for a school-age pilot program . Twenty students joined Handshouse leaders on an immersive jump into history through the hands-on practice of making a historic gourd banjo based on archival etchings, paintings, photographs, and historical records. The students broke into three groups to work collaboratively with a handshouse leader to make the three main components of a gourd banjo; the gourd body, the neck, and the pegs.

Over the course of the day, these groups experienced the materials and process that would have been used by the original makers, closely observed period artworks and artifacts to determine how these early banjos looked, and got their hands on traditional hand-tools as a way to get into the mind-of-the-makers.

Many educators have asked Handshouse to turn our unique project-based approach into curriculum for schools and community centers. We are so grateful for the chance to work with this enthusiastic team of Norwell High school students to help us take on that very request. As is always the case with Handshouse projects….we all contribute and we all learn. The students got a glimpse into the rich and complex history of the banjo with their hands, and the Handshouse team learned more about how to adapt and offer this workshop to different age groups, and in different formats. It is clear that learning-by-doing is a rewarding and illuminating way to explore a subject at any age! Thank you Norwell high school for your willingness to come join us for a day of making history in the woods! We hope you will come again!