Wednesday, June 21, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
LUTHIERS: Program is
supported by Sisters
Folk Festival
Continued from page 1
it takes to build a guitar.
Edwards said, “I love see-
ing the enthusiasm of the stu-
dents, and love seeing them
pick out a flat piece of wood
that eventually becomes a
playable instrument.”
The ukulele-building pro-
gram started six years ago and
is gaining more popularity
among students.
“Students who want to
take AP classes and have a
full schedule now have the
opportunity to build an instru-
ment because they only have
to schedule the class for one
semester,” Edwards noted.
“I’m so glad I got to build
a ukulele. All of high school
I have wanted to make one
and it is something that I will
take with me to college,” said
senior Jules Meeter.
The luthier program is
partially funded by grants
through the Sisters Folk
Festival and is supported by
the school district, volun-
teers, Breedlove Guitar and
Bowerman Guitars.
“The students started
building these instruments
with a whole bunch of heart
and a can-do mentality. Over
time it has developed to one
of the finest luthier programs
in the country,” said the cre-
ative director for Sisters
Folk Festival, Brad Tisdel.
Cosby is the teacher and
mentor of the woods pro-
grams at Sisters High School
and has been teaching the pro-
gram since the beginning.
“I don’t love building gui-
tars; it’s low on the list of
things I like to do,” he said.
“I really like the connection
I create with the kids. There
is at least a four-year story
behind each one of the kids
that build guitars. They get to
start on something really hard
and see it through till the end
and will pass on their guitars
to grandkids.”
Many of the students came
to the showcase after just fin-
ishing their guitars that same
day.
“I finished my guitar five
minutes ago and just learned
how to play a three-chord
song,” said graduating senior
Will Werts. Werts also told
The Nugget that “I like see-
ing how raw materials looked
from start to finish. It was an
amazing opportunity to create
a playable instrument that I
will keep forever.”
Bill MacDonald has been
PHOTO BY CEILI CORNELIUS
Students played their hand-built instruments as a part of the Luthier
Program Showcase last week at Sisters High School.
29
PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK
Sisters students spent countless hours building guitars and ukuleles in their woods class.
a volunteer and teacher for 10
years with the luthier program
at the high school. He says
he’s enjoyed watching the
program grow and evolve.
Students spend count-
less hours in the wood shop
building their guitars and
ukuleles, and came in outside
of school hours to create the
best instruments they could.
Students taught themselves
to use various computer pro-
grams including using a CNC
machine, a controlled router
that can be programed to cut
specific designs. Every inlay
or rosette (the design that
surrounds the sound-hole) is
created out of pearl, stone,
shell, or abalone. Senior Will
Miner helped every student
create their inlay on the CNC
machine, whether it be mak-
ing the design or putting it on
the guitar.
“I feel like I am now
related to Will after spending
so much time together,” said
Cosby.
Every student in the class
helped each other create the
best sounding and looking
instruments they could during
the span of nine months.
Ryan Funk and Brandon
Ermatinger were able to play
their hand-built guitars at the
graduation ceremony for the
senior song.
“I built this guitar with the
help of all the volunteers, and
Cosby, and I am so blessed to
have been able to build a gui-
tar that sounds amazing,” said
Ermatinger.
The evening continued
with a presentation by each
one of the student groups that
worked together to build their
guitars. Many of the students
explained special parts on
their guitar from the unique
head-stock shape, or design
inlays on the rosette. A few
of the students built their gui-
tars for somebody else. Nika
Chick built her guitar for her
mom for Mother’s Day, and
Miner built a left-handed gui-
tar for his dad. The evening
ended with students, led by
Tisdel, performing “Three
Little Birds” by Bob Marley
on their hand-built guitars.
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