Incredible footage shows young, one-handed girl playing violin with ingenious prosthetic device

17 June 2021, 17:01

Amazing clip shows young girl able to play violin with a prosthetic attachment

Watch this determined 10-year-old making beautiful music with her violin, against all the odds.

An inspirational young violinist determined to play against all the odds has had her dreams come true, thanks to a simple but ingenious device.

10-year-old Adia Cardona has one hand, but that hasn’t stopped her fulfilling her passion, which is making beautiful music.

“We’ve told her that whatever she wants to do, she can do it,” Cardona’s mother, Ilca, says (watch above).

Adia has expressed that the two most important things in her life are riding her bike and playing the violin. So she has a prosthetic limb to enable her to do both, including gripping the bow of her violin to make music.

Read more: Violinist with prosthetic arm shows incredible power of science and music

Despite the progressive prosthetic, which allows for right elbow and wrist movements, the pressure she could apply with bow-to-string wasn’t quite enough to stop the bow sliding.

Enter Brigham Young University mechanical engineering student, Joshua Vanderpool. He has invented an ingenious but simple solution to help the young violinist play: essentially a special mounted ‘chopstick’ that attaches to her violin, and stops her bow sliding.

“I love the violin because it’s a part of me,” Cardone says. “It’s relaxing. I get the violin and piano, and just play along with my favourite songs,” she smiles.

“My job was give her a tool, and then get out the way, so she can accomplish what she wants,” Vanderpool says.

And that you have, Josh. Hats off to you.