For nearly 20 years, a school in Cambridge, Massachusetts has been teaching people the art of glass blowing, introducing many to a new hobby.

At the NOCA Glass School in North Cambridge, which opened in 2006, the staff said teaching beginners is their specialty.

How to blow glass

"Basically everyone that comes in here, just falls in love at first sight," Glass School staff member Emery Wenger said. "It's very rare that we have someone that comes in and is like, 'This isn't for me.'"

Learning how to gather the molten glass in an on oven that's more than 2,000 degrees can be a bit daunting but the staff are there to guide their students every step of the way.

"We have our jacks that are for creating constriction in the glass. Our tweezers for poking, pinching, pulling," said Wenger, explaining the different tools that are used. "Diamond shears primarily for removing material and then straight shears, which are just scissors."

Making a bowl starts with a process on a piece of equipment called the jack line.

"It is the act of putting the constriction point in the glass," Glass School staff member Sarah LaSpada said. "We are going to start nice and gentle right here and Kat's going to start to blow now." 

Student Kat Kaufman then blew through a tube with the molten glass at the other end, creating a bubble.  

Cambridge glass School  

From beginners to more advanced students, the staff said glass making can be creatively addictive.

"Glass has really given me so much and the professionals here have been just the most incredible," Kaufman said.

"It's just both, the people that work here and the students that we get, it makes the job amazing," LaSpada said.

Students 14 and older are welcome to sign up for classes on the school's website. The school also offers private events.