Objects with difficult histories present profound opportunities for learning and teaching alike because of their authenticity, relatability and quite often their ability to inspire empathy. The following article constructs a multivalenced account of a student's vandalised violin by utilising a narrative framework to layer various perspectives into an educational history. Recent theory in historiography, oral history and material culture will help to navigate the ethics of telling sensitive and difficult stories from the past. The version of history I present positions the student's violin as the central character in the lives of its caretakers. As a result, we see the instrument not a as static object, but as a piece of material culture in a constant state of becoming. This article offers its readers an opportunity to reflect on the meaning we give to classroom objects, the agency these objects possess, and the necessity to pursue new ways to teach empathy.