Q:
Does learning the violin severely limit children’s chances
to do other things?
A: Not if sensible lesson and practice times are arranged.
Great amounts of practice are not required in the early stages.
A half-hour’s practice each day under the guidance of
a good teacher will get a child firmly started. A little more
can be arranged if the child would like to play for longer
periods. But regular practice is more important than the overall
time given to it. A lot of practice on one or two days a week
is much less effective than shorter periods of practice once
or twice a day.
Q:
Are there small violins for small children?
A: Yes, there are. Violins come in many sizes, from 1/16 up
to full size. Very small violins produce very poor sound,
however, so starting on a ¼ size instrument is often
more satisfactory. You can tell the size of violin children
should be playing by either tucking the body under the arm
or under the chin and seeing that they can comfortably curl
their fingers around the scroll. Changing up to the largest
size that children can handle comfortably is recommended because
the larger the instrument is, the better the tone that it
can produce.
Q:
Is learning to play the violin very expensive?
A: In the early stages it really doesn’t have to be.
Local teachers charge very reasonable rates and small violins
can be either rented or bought second hand and traded in for
other second hand instruments when the child grows big enough
to justify it. Buying and trading is usually less expensive.
Second hand instruments can usually be made to sound good
and maintained at very little expense. Only when children
are ready for a full size instrument is it likely to be a
bit more costly, but by then children’s progress or
lack of it will allow them to decide whether they want to
go on and parents to determine whether the outlay for their
child’s talent is really worthwhile.
