Frequently Asked Questions
I want to get my child a gift for the holidays...
Thank you for supporting your child's musical development! Probably the best possible gift that you can provide a young musician is a safe and supportive practice environment at home. Here are some other ideas to help your holiday shopping:
I am a new orchestra parent/guardian, how can I support my child's musical development at home?
Learning a musical instrument is a difficult but rewarding skill. Being a parent/guardian of a child learning a musical instrument is a difficult but rewarding experience. Although it might not seem like your child is making progress at first, they are developing the skills necessary to live a life full of music. It sometimes takes a few years for a young student to develop a refined sound, but rest assured that they are making progress.
Even if the sounds that you hear coming from their bedroom might not sound great at first, the best thing that you can do to help their development is encourage them to continue practicing. We strive to provide a supportive environment in all of our music classrooms, but your child might still be looking for assurance that their home is a safe space to make music too.
Positive musician-family interactions:
Thank you for supporting your child's musical development! Probably the best possible gift that you can provide a young musician is a safe and supportive practice environment at home. Here are some other ideas to help your holiday shopping:
- Clip-on tuner
- An upgraded bow (from a reputable string vendor)
- A music stand (for home practice)
- Play-along music books (available at B's Music)
- AVOID purchasing instruments on the internet that seem like a good deal without consulting Mr. Vajda first. A $100 violin seems like a fantastic deal until it breaks and no repair shops will fix it...
I am a new orchestra parent/guardian, how can I support my child's musical development at home?
Learning a musical instrument is a difficult but rewarding skill. Being a parent/guardian of a child learning a musical instrument is a difficult but rewarding experience. Although it might not seem like your child is making progress at first, they are developing the skills necessary to live a life full of music. It sometimes takes a few years for a young student to develop a refined sound, but rest assured that they are making progress.
Even if the sounds that you hear coming from their bedroom might not sound great at first, the best thing that you can do to help their development is encourage them to continue practicing. We strive to provide a supportive environment in all of our music classrooms, but your child might still be looking for assurance that their home is a safe space to make music too.
Positive musician-family interactions:
- "You have been practicing that a lot, and it sounds like you are making progress!"
- "Nice job practicing your instrument every day this week, that will help you to get better."
- "I miss hearing you practice at home, is there anything from class that you could work on right now?"
- "When I was in band, we learned it this way." Every music student has different experiences in band, and every music teacher teaches differently.
- "That didn't sound that great..." Even though you might mean well, receiving feedback from a family member can be very difficult for young musicians. If you are concerned about the quality of their playing, feel free to reach out to Mr. Vajda directly so that he can address it in class.
Instrument Renting and Purchasing
Instrument Rental Letter
With musical instruments, you tend to get what you pay for. Beware of deals that seem too good to be true; the internet is full of VSOs (Violin Shaped Objects) that are cheap to purchase but are rendered useless once they break for the first time. Most repair shops will not even do work on Mendini instruments.
Reputable instrument brands can be purchased through SHAR and Marshall Music, please ask Mr. Vajda for a second opinion before purchasing an instrument from another source.
With musical instruments, you tend to get what you pay for. Beware of deals that seem too good to be true; the internet is full of VSOs (Violin Shaped Objects) that are cheap to purchase but are rendered useless once they break for the first time. Most repair shops will not even do work on Mendini instruments.
Reputable instrument brands can be purchased through SHAR and Marshall Music, please ask Mr. Vajda for a second opinion before purchasing an instrument from another source.