Kentrell Amerson has been learning to play the violin since kindergarten and receives three one-hour lessons with the rest of his class at a school in Omaha, NE.

Thanks to local collaboration, Amerson, whose left arm ends at the elbow, has been presented with a violin that rests on his right shoulder, plus a 3D-printed prosthetic hand to hold the bow.

Luthier Alex Reza has adapted a ‘mirror image’ violin, changing the layout of the strings so that Amerson can follow the same teaching directions as his classmates. The biomechanics department at University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) created a 3D-printed prosthetic that holds the bow and attaches to Amerson’s left elbow.

How does Amerson describe his new violin set-up?

‘Awesome.’

Watch: Young violinist plays with prosthetic arm

Read: Paralympian swimmer plays violin with prosthetic arm

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