Congratulations! You made it home safely with your new violin (or cello) and now your child wants to show you what they learned in class. How do you make sure your pre-schooler will take care of the instrument? Read on…
I remind my students often that the violin will always be either in their hand, or in its case. Instruments should never be left on the floor, a table, chair, or bed, not even for a moment. This is a good habit to instil from the beginning. Here is a little system we use in class that may be used at home:
- prepare the bow by taking it out of the case and tightening it
- set the bow down inside the case
- carefully take out the violin and hold it with the left hand
- take out the bow with the right
- you’re ready to go!
To play the instrument, it’s best to have some space around and preferable to stand on a rug or carpet, just in case! Putting the violin away goes like this:
- set the bow down in the case
- now you have two hands to carefully put the violin away
- take the bow and loosen it
- then put it away carefully, placing the tip inside the pocket on the left and turning the clip to secure it
- wipe down the violin and strings with a soft cloth to remove rosin dust
- close the case and bring the zip all the way round
- put it away somewhere a younger sibling or pet can’t reach it and you’re done!
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