The California Area School District in Pennsylvania has found an inventive way to put violins in students’ hands without putting financial strain on their families, CBS News reports.
(Corey Seeman/Flickr Creative Commons)In the district, where more than 70 percent of students are from low-income households, the superintendent began producing violins herself, using 3D printers in her office. Rental fees for traditional violins can run into the hundreds of dollars each year. By utilizing technology, the district now provides students with instruments for approximately $50 each.
What started with two printers has now grown to more than 30 machines, producing instruments that provide students with an entry point into music. Over the past five years, Dr Laura Jacob, the superintendent, has produced more than 200 violins while also leading a weekly after-school club where students learn about both the music and the technology behind it. For many, the program has sparked confidence and joy, offering not only a means to make music but also a new perspective on themselves as capable learners.
The project began after Jacob watched a video of professional musicians playing on plastic instruments created by the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra. Inspired, she tinkered with downloadable models, refining the designs through trial and error until the instruments produced a sound good enough for beginners. Today, the district’s orchestra includes children who might otherwise never have had the chance to play.
Students say the experience makes them feel stronger, smarter, and more engaged in school. For the district leader, that’s the real payoff: not just lowering costs, but helping to plant a lifelong love of music that could carry well beyond the school years.
How 3D-Printed Violins Work
3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, builds objects layer by layer from melted plastic filament. A computer-aided design (CAD) model guides the printer’s nozzle as it lays down thin strands of plastic, which cool and harden into solid shapes. For a violin, different parts—such as the body, neck, and scroll—are printed separately and then assembled. While the sound quality isn’t identical to that of a handcrafted wooden instrument, the plastic frame resonates sufficiently for practice and ensemble playing.
The materials are inexpensive: a spool of PLA plastic filament, which costs $20–$25, can produce several violin parts. Entry-level printers typically sell for a few hundred dollars, although larger, faster, or more precise models can cost several thousand dollars. For schools willing to invest in the machines, the payoff is enormous: once purchased, the same printers can also be used for student projects, classroom models, or other practical applications. In this case, they have opened the door to music education that might have otherwise been out of reach.
