For Parents

Practice

• Playing an instrument requires development of muscular coordination and mental concentration, skills that are best acquired by consistent and careful daily practice.
• Minimum practice time for beginners should be on the average of 20 minutes each day. This will increase as the student studies more difficult music.  Actual practice time may be split into shorter segments throughout the day.
• The student should have a certain time designated each day as practice time that the entire family respects.  This is of utmost importance.
• To achieve the above, parental support and dedication are necessary.  It is suggested that parent sit in on the practice time at least once a week.  Parents of young students are required to "coach" their child in the practice time. Please read the "Frequently Asked Questions about Piano Study" handout to understand more about practice.
• To encourage practice MSC has a "100-Day Club" which rewards the student after 100 consecutive days of practice.

Listening

• Learning to hear is a basic skill for musicians.  Listening to high quality classical music is essential in order to learn music successfully. Students and parents are encouraged to listen as much as possible.
• Preference needs to be given to the pieces the student is studying.  Students can purchase tapes and CDs from the teacher to this end.
• In addition, the student and parents should also enjoy listening to classical piano music and classical music in general.  Sacramento's public radio station KXPR-88.9 FM is a superb source for general listening.
• We also suggest that students attend at least 2 outside recitals or concerts given by professional musicians.  The MSC online calendar provides a list of musical events in our area.

How to care your stringed instrument

• Keep your instrument clean. Keep a lint-free cloth inside your case and wipe off all the rosin dust and dirt from your instrument after each time you play. Pay particular attention to the fingerboard and the top of the instrument. Be careful not to knock the bridge out of place. NEVER USE FURNITURE POLISH OR ALCOHOL TO CLEAN YOUR INSTRUMENT.
• Always keep your instrument and bow in its case with the lid closed when not in use. Also, be sure that you securely lock the bow in place and remove the shoulder rest or pad before closing the case. Careless accidents could leave your instrument seriously damaged.
• Rosin the bow regularly. For students it is probably sufficient to rosin the bow once a week. Too much rosin will produce a harsh tone and cause an excessive build-up of white rosin powder on the instrument.
• Always loosen the hair on your bow after playing before you place it back in the case. Simply turn the screw until the bow hair is loose and the bow stick is no longer stressed. Be careful not to over-tighten the bow before use as this will warp the wood. The bow stick should still maintain a natural arch when tightened appropriately. (Remember: lefty = loosely, righty = tightie).
• Never touch the horsehair on your bow. The oils from your skin will damage the hair and take away its ability to grab the strings.
• Do not leave your instrument in your car! Intense heat or cold can cause an instrument to come apart or crack, and will definitely cause it to fall out of tune. Also, try to avoid exposing your instrument to sudden changes in humidity. When traveling with your instrument it is always better to keep it in the back seat of your car rather than the trunk.
• Do not try and tune the instrument yourself! It takes a while to learn to do this properly, and if you’re not careful you may damage the instrument and/or break strings. Take your instrument to the teacher at your next class and have them tune it for you.
• The student should have a metronome at home to help with their counting.

VIOLIN SIZING GUIDE

*Measure from the middle of the left palm to the neck, with left arm and hand fully extended out perpendicular to body (as if holding a violin).

Here are some brand names that have been approved

Armstrong, Artley, Bach, Besson, Benge, Blessing, Bueshcer, Bufffet Crampon, Bundy, Conn, Eastman, Emerson, Fox, Gemeinhardt, Getzen, Glaesel, Holton, Jupiter, Keilwerth, King, Knnilling, Leblanc, Wm Lewis, Lidl, Martin, Scherl & Roth, Scheibner, Schroetter, Selmer, St. Petersburg, Yanagisawa, Vito, and Yamaha.