OMG! Time just flew by. I didn't even notice that I haven't posted in so long!!!! I started this post three years ago and never finished until now. It's been what? three years? My son is already in college, just started his 2nd year at a conservatory. I helped him move into his apartment last month. Reading my past posts reminded me of the journey my son and I had until he became self sufficient enough that he didn't need me any more when he practiced. It just happened so naturally which many parents will agree as your child progress, you have fewer things to comment. Technical parts are done. When my son plays out of tune, he knows that and fixes it before I can even point it out. Musically, we are more like exchanging ideas, but he has his own and that makes him unique. I just watch him grow as a musician:)
Now, below is the post I started three years ago and never finished, but I will, now.
Initially, when your child start taking lessons for the violin, what you spend is for the instrument and supplies needed and the lesson fee. The lesson fees vary depending on the teacher. In the suburbs, somewhere between $30-$50/hour and in the big cities like New York, it could cost upward of $100+ is expected. But as your child progress and seriously considering some sort of conservatory, it really starts to add up. In my case, it has been financially draining. We sought after the teacher who lived several states away from us, so commuting and lodging and the lesson fee one weekend a month totaled in close to $1000 and this is not even the conservatory. It was a private teacher. This is not very unusual. Surprisingly, I found out so many are in similar situations after speaking with other parents who I met at the camps and the competitions. It really becomes a family affair. The institutions like the Juilliard pre-college tuition is $9,200 a year and even the Curtis Institute where you are offered free tuition once you are admitted, you still need living expenses if you are from out-of-state. That could cost you close to $10,000 - $20,000 given that it is located in downtown Philadelphia.
This is not the only thing, though. The violin and the bow will cost more as your child moves up in size. My son's former teacher told me he didn't necessarily have to have an expensive violin when he was still in fractional size, but to invest in a quality violin when he is ready for a full size. His first 1/4 size violin was about $250 from an online shop, 1/2 size about $800 which I posted in the past (Nuener) from a violin shop his teacher knew and 3/4 size $1500 from his teacher which she kept after her daughter grew out of it. Then I passed it on to one of her students for the same price. You can see the $$ amount goes up as the size goes up. This is due to the quality not the size. This goes for the bow as well. His first one was about $30, then $150 and $300-400 for the 3/4 size. Big jump from the first one to the next was because I got him the pernambuco bows versus the brazilwood bow. This is my own experience purchasing the instruments, but of course, this is not typical or average. Some people will spend more or less depending on their preference.
Now, talking about a full size violin, I have to admit I made a mistake. It was really financially difficult time for us when he needed to move on to a full size violin, with monthly expenses for his lesson out of state and other financial circumstances prevented us from saving up for his violin. So what did I do? I found a violin on ebay for $250, handmade in China. I had it shipped and arrived in 7 days. It came with a bow and a case. He was happy and it made bigger sounds. Of course! It is a bigger violin! We took it to his teacher who was at a summer camp we were attending. At the lesson, he basically told me it was a crap, but by then my son was getting used to playing on it and managed to produce decent sounds where his teacher who is used to a very expensive antique violin had a hard time playing on it. I was so embarrassed that I bought him a "crap". If your child is a serious student, don't even think about it!!! But I have to give my son a little bit of credit. He managed to win a competition at the camp with that ebay violin! After that, his teacher must have felt sorry for him, he found my son a patron who still to this day, loans him a quality violin which we will not be able to afford to purchase. My son is a lucky boy to find someone like that, but usually quality violins can cost anywhere from thousands to millions. Some antique bows will cost as much as one's house.
It is expensive to raise a violinist, but it is so rewarding if your child is passionate about it, and the door will open if you knock!
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Money Thing
Posted by violinomama at 9:10 PM 0 comments
Monday, March 5, 2012
To the Parents
If your child is starting the violin, first thing is of course to fit the violin that is appropriate for your child. To figure out the right size is of course most important. It is best you consult with your child's teacher, but the ball park figure is when a child put the violin under his/her chin, the end of the scroll reaches the wrist. You don't want the violin too big for him/her which makes it hard to handle the instrument. There are 1/32, 1/16, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and finally the full size.
Posted by violinomama at 7:02 AM 0 comments
Labels: On the Side
Monday, February 27, 2012
To the Parents
I just started thinking. What could I contribute to the parents whose kids are studying music? As a mother of three children who studies different instruments, it may be small but I can share some insight, I think...
Posted by violinomama at 7:44 AM 0 comments
Labels: On the Side
Monday, February 13, 2012
Balancing Act
This is to express my opinion and hopefully to help others who are in the similar situations. When your child gets some performing opportunities which my son did quite a lot for the last two years and he was fortunate to be able to experience performing with some great orchestras and people. Said that if I could go back in time, there are some changes I could have made.
Posted by violinomama at 9:16 AM 0 comments
Labels: On the Side
Monday, August 8, 2011
Finally he came back!!
After six long weeks, my son finally came back home! Well, to be precise, we brought him home. His hair was over grown, bushy and nappy, but he had a nice tan. All the other kids are outside waiting to be either picked up by their parents or seeing others off until the vans take them to the city. Some are already crying:( We could tell they had so much fun and formed strong friendship with one another.
Posted by violinomama at 9:56 AM 5 comments
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Where is my son??
My son left for the 6-week summer camp up north in mid June. This was the first time he participated in a camp by himself. I've been always with him till last year. A couple of mini vans were to pick up the students at the assigned location in the city and drive them to the camp sight. We decided to get to the pick-up location bit early just in case we got lost, but about 10 students were already there chatting away. It seemed like everyone knew each other. One boy whom my son met at a competition was there and he greeted my son with a big smile, then went right back into the conversation with others. My son on the other hand, usually a social guy, but shy in the beginning, can't seem to get into the conversation. I tried to nudge him into the group, but he wouldn't go for it. Then a older boy approached me and introduced himself who turned out to be one of the teaching assistants. (He wasn't a boy, he was a grown man with a baby face:)) He assured me that he was going to take good care of my son. I was somewhat relieved knowing that even if he doesn't make friends, at least he has his counselor by him. Soon everyone started boarding. Of course my son was the last one to get in and all the way in the back by himself.....
Posted by violinomama at 8:58 PM 4 comments
Labels: On the Side
Monday, March 14, 2011
Slump...................
It is not entirely my son's fault. He hasn't been able to see his teacher for nearly two months due to his (teacher's) busy schedule. Meanwhile, he has been working on a couple of new pieces and a few of the ongoing ones, but he needs someone to kick his butt time to time (who is not me...:))
There are limits to what I can do for him. First of all, I don't play the violin! My ears are pretty good for spotting intonation issues, but not perfect. I have two other children who need my assistance. Therefore I cannot keep an eye on him all the time. When I am at work I am not sure how many real hours he put in for practicing. All I can do is to believe what he says.
I am getting a little tired of having arguing matches with him. He is probably hitting a full blown teenage mode. He has excuses to do just the opposite for everything I tell him to do or not to do.
Well, he created the system of practicing 50 minutes and take 10 minute break in between practices, but the thing is yeah, say he does 50 minutes of practicing, but it is never a 10 minute break. It will be more like 50 minute break in between. I don't mind it if we had 48 hours in a day, but he has homework to do, he needs to eat. It is just simply impossible to take that long of breaks.
I just can't wait for him to have a lesson next month (finally!!!!). Hopefully his teacher will give him a loud wake-up call:)
Posted by violinomama at 6:42 AM 3 comments