Instrument Care for Students and Parents

Instruments and bows are very delicate, fragile objects.  When an instrument is properly cared for, you can achieve the best sound possible when playing.  Please read the "Four C's" and Instrument and Bow Care 101 below.

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Remember the Four Cs

1)   Be Careful with your instrument and bow.  Do not leave your instrument or bow unattended, on a chair or hanging from a stand! 

2)   Climate is important for your instrument.  Make sure it doesn’t get too hot or cold.

3)   Always Clean your instrument and bow when you are done playing.

4)   Put your instrument and bow in the case in the Correct way and shut the latch or the zipper.  If you use a shoulder rest, check that your shoulder rest is off your instrument before putting your instrument away. 



INSTRUMENT CARE 101 for Parents:
1.  Review with your child the parts of the instrument and the Four Cs.

2.  Make sure your child is very careful with the instrument.  It is made out of thin pieces of wood, so bumping it, even in the case, may cause it to go out of adjustment.

3.  Do not attempt to tune the instrument until the teacher teaches your child to tune, as over-tightening may cause the string or bridge to snap.

4.  Encourage the habit of cleaning the instrument each time your child is done playing.  You can use a clean soft cloth to wipe the rosin dust from the instrument, bow stick and strings.

5.  Make sure you child ALWAYS puts the instrument and bow back in the case when they are done playing.  But remember, if they have a shoulder rest, they NEED to remove the shoulder rest before putting it in the case.

6.  Keep the instrument away from extreme heat or cold.  Never leave any instrument in a car for any length of time.  Extreme temperatures can cause it to crack!


BOW CARE 101 for Parents
1.  Review the parts of the bow with your child.

2.  Again, be careful, as bows can break easily.  Do not allow your child to drop their bow or hit anything with it.

3.  The white horsehair on the bow is not meant to be touched.  The oils from your hands and body will make the hair slippery and harder to play with.

4.  Before they play, they should tighten the bow with the screw.  The teacher will show the correct way to do so.

5. Have them apply rosin to the hair several times a week.  If there is too much rosin it will cause a large build-up of rosin dust on the stick of the bow, the strings and the instrument, which can be hard to clean off.  If there is too little rosin, the bow will slide across the strings and produce a thin, glassy sound.

6.  After playing, check that they loosen the tension of the bow.  The teacher will show how much to     loosen it.

       
Do not hesitate to call or visit us right away if you have any questions or notice anything different or wrong  with the instrument or bow.  We will be glad to help you!