Back to School List for String Players

It’s that time of year when the back to school lists come out and people are buying up #2 pencils, ball point pens, and index cards for the return to school.   Many music students are gearing up to go back to weekly lessons after a summer of traveling and other summer activities and it’s a great time to go over a back to school list for string players.   I would recommend going over this list with your teacher and then spending the last few weeks of summer getting everything together that you need for a successful year.

• Properly Sized Instrument: This is a great time to have your teacher measure  you to see that your current size violin or viola is still the right fit for you.    In many instrument rental programs you can swap out your instrument for a bigger size, only paying a fee to re-string the instrument for the next person who plays it.   If you own your own instrument, now is a great time to advertise and sell it to someone who is moving up in size as well, or just starting lessons in the fall.   (Always get your teacher’s opinion before getting your new instrument – I have had a number of students bring in great “deals” from e-bay or a garage sale that are not playable and end up as an expensive piece of wall art . . . don’t let that happen to you!)
• New Strings: The general rule of thumb is to change your instrument’s strings after 120 hours of playing.  You will hear many different opinions about the subject, but this is the most common that I have seen.  For many beginning students  this means changing out your strings about once a year.   If you make a habit out of changing strings at the start of each school year it is easy to remember.

• Bow Re-hair: If you are playing a full size instrument, it is also a good idea to get your bow re-haired from time to time.   It is especially important to do so if your bow has lost a lot of hairs over time and is getting thin.  The general guideline is to re-hair a bow once a year.  If you are a student please ask your teacher if your bow is in need of re-hairing.
• Music Bag: By the time students have been playing a year or two on their instrument, there can be quite a collection of books to bring to each lesson.  If your case doesn’t have a compartment to carry all the music to the lesson in, it would be a good idea to find a bag that is used just for your music.  There are cute music bags designed for music students, but any cloth bag will do the trick.
• Notebook: Having a practice notebook to write down practice assignments and keep track of practice during the week is a must for the students that I teach.  Even a simple spiral notebook works well and helps everyone stay organized.  Picking one up while getting your other school supplies is a great idea.

This list should give you a start to get ready for the new school year.   If there is something else you can think of that I missed, please add it to the comments below.  Everyone can learn from one another and we would all love your imput!

Thanks for reading

~Christine