Enriching Education - Rural PA School Creating Violins with 3D Printer to Overcome Cost Barriers to Music Education

In the California Area School District south of Pittsburgh, where one third of residents live below the poverty line, students’ new violins are emerging bit by bit from a fleet of 3D printers.

 

“A lot of kids don’t get into playing music because of the cost of lessons and then the cost of renting the instrument,” says Laura Jacob, who became Superintendent during the COVID-19 lockdown. She says COVID’s disruption “gave us the liberty to think outside the box” — including discovering new ways for students to learn lifelong musical skills.

 

California Area now has after-school clubs for every musical interest, including guitar club, orchestra club, and a Friday afternoon 3D violin club. Jacob and her team have 3D printed an entire orchestra at the elementary level, and they’re working on doing the same for secondary schoolers.

 

Though just as loud as their wooden cousins, 3D printed instruments are actually easier to tune and far less breakable — an important upside for younger students who don’t want to be afraid of messing up a rental instrument.

 

“How a 3D printed violin sounds, how it responds, is a bit different from a wooden version,” says music teacher and band director Noah Kilgus. “But it’s very accessible, which is what music-making should be about.”

 

“It’s actually helped me grow as a violinist,” says ninth-grader Allison Piktel, who had some experience playing a regular violin before receiving her custom-made pink and black 3D model. “They ask you what color you want, and they make it for you. It doesn’t sound exactly like an actual violin, but it sounds really close.”

 

Everyone is welcome at these music clubs. There’s even an after-school bus that transports kids home when they’re done, so the absence of a ride home isn’t a barrier.

                                                           

California Area is part of the Western Pennsylvania Learning 2025 Alliance, a regional cohort of school districts working together with support from The Grable Foundation and led by local superintendents and AASA, The School Superintendents Association. The Alliance convenes to help districts like California Area do what they do best: give every child the best possible learning experience while collaborating to create student-centered, equity- focused, future-driven schools.

 

Looking ahead, Jacob is considering adding a summer camp activity where students will learn to make wooden violins. She already has basic templates ready. “I’m just trying to show our students a wide breadth of skills that can open up their world to different careers and possibilities,” says Jacob.