US school cuts music lesson costs by printing 3D violins for students
15 September 2025, 10:34 | Updated: 15 September 2025, 10:43
A staff member has now printed over 200 violins in her office.
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A US school has started 3D-printing violins to provide affordable instruments for low-income students.
A superintendent at school in Pennsylvania, US, began 3D-printing violins right from her own office in an effort to reduce costs for families with students interested in playing a musical instrument.
Dr. Laura Jacob has been able to produce violins that cost $50, which equates to approximately £36, and gives them for free to any student in her rural school district in Coal Center, Pennsylvania.
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Jacob was inspired by a video of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, which has experimented with 3D printed instruments, and decided working on something that could bring music to children who otherwise might not be able to afford it.
“I started tinkering. I found some models online”, Jacob told CBS News. “I’m not a computer scientist or an engineer by any means, but after a variety of failures, I found one that actually printed and it sounded good. It’s a great start for kids.”
Jacob currently has 30 3D printers inside her office. “We did start with humble beginnings, with just two,” she said.
In the last five years, Jacob has printed more 200 violins, and even now teaches a weekly 3D violin club where students learn to play the violin and also learn about 3D printing technologies.
“It’s that moment when you see them smile like that, that smile that comes out as they’re starting to play and they create that sound themselves,” Jacob said.
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Leyla Knox, a student in the program said being part of the club “makes me feel powerful because it’s just a big group and we can all do it at the same time.”
“It makes me feel more confident in school than I did before”, she added.
Another student, Evie Dentino said: “I feel like it makes you a better student, because if I can play the violin, I can do anything.”
Jacob hopes that the program can help provide students with a lifelong love for music, saying, “If that sticks with them, then to me it’s worth it.”
