When Loreen Pham, a fifth-grader at Garden Grove’s Wakeham Elementary School, told music teacher Sarah Moulton that she wanted to play a string instrument despite a disability that affected her hand, Moulton turned to colleagues for help.
And help they did.
What resulted was a customized bow holder, designed to attach perfectly to Loreen’s arm — and it arrived just in time for the young musician to play the cello in her school’s spring recital.
The prosthetic was made by students enrolled in a Career and Technical Education Pathway course called 3-D printing at Pacifica High School in the Garden Grove Unified School District, under the direction of their teacher, Ed Harris.
But there were plenty of others involved too. Along with Moulton, contributions came from Stacy Harris, the district’s visual and performing arts coordinator; Matt Franklin, a teacher on special assignment; and Eric Padget, assistant principal of Career and Technical Education.
Working together, the group researched a design that could be produced by a 3-D printer and went to work.
Loreen was excited to surprise her family at the concert, and we’re told she has already reminded Ms. Moulton that she’ll be taking advanced strings next year.
Check out the video above, courtesy of the Garden Grove Unified School District.