Violin for 6th Grader--Keep Renting or Buy

[havaneselover]

I'm looking for some advice from those who've been through this before. My 11 year old is my oldest. She is in strings in middle school and will keep playing for at least the next two years. I have no idea whether she will keep playing in high school. She picks things up easily and is good at violin, but swims competitively (very time consuming) so she is basically putting in the two hours a week of practice required and that's it.

I pay $35/month to rent her violin. I guess it's a rent to own program through Music & Arts (national chain). I can keep renting, buy a basic student violin (about $300), or buy a step up (Eastman 205). The step up will cost about $750 after a small discount and rental credit. If she keeps playing in high school it seems like she would need the step up, not the basic student violin (or so I'm told). If she doesn't, I'm assuming I could sell the step up locally and get something back.

Any advice?

 

[disneymayz]

Are you sure it's a rent to own? Ours was not, so at the point were she got to a full size we decided to buy to save us money in the long run. We did make sure that our daughter wanted to do it longer.

 

[havaneselover]

Yes. Right now I have about $200 of rental credit. I can buy the one she is renting, buy another basic one (which they told me is really a better deal for some reason), or buy a step up.

Luckily she started with a full size. I wouldn't consider buying if she wasn't using a full size.

I wish I knew how long she'd play, but it's hard to figure out what an 11 year old will do in high school

 

[stsomewhere]

My son grew. I did rent to own . We traded it in a few times for a bigger sizes.

 

[mjkacmom]

All 5 of my kids started violin in 4th grade (that's when the school starts offering it). All switched to different instruments in 5th, some continued in middle school, one through freshman year in high school. That was the max. All did/do choir, and will throughout high school.

Such a small fraction continue throughout high school. Busy with other things, plus class scheduling. I'd rent, at this early point.

 

[Kbee]

None of my kids did their instruments past middle school. If you are sure she'll still be doing it for 2 years I'd do the math. If the monthly rental is more than purchasing, I'd go ahead and purchase one.

 

[havaneselover]

None of my kids did their instruments past middle school. If you are sure she'll still be doing it for 2 years I'd do the math. If the monthly rental is more than purchasing, I'd go ahead and purchase one.

She's definitely going to do it through middle school (another two years) so I think renting would be a little more expensive. Buying used is also an option, but that seems risky to me and her current teacher is very picky about brands.

I appreciate everyone's input. It helps to know that most don't continue beyond middle school. DD loves music, but I have no clue what she will be into in a few years.

 

[squeegee]

I played for eight years myself, beginning in sixth grade, up through my freshman year in college. I'd say the "step up" instrument is going to be a waste unless she's going to try for a community symphony or just really enjoy playing for a very long time.
Our high school orchestra was quite large, and generally well-funded, but it just wasn't a big deal for someone to have a higher quality instrument at that point. We were lucky enough to have a couple of prodigies for our first chairs (genuine prodigies who'd been playing concerts since they were four or five), and they had expensive instruments, but you couldn't tell unless they were playing a solo. LOL.
That said, I played a sears and Roebuck special from 1967 that I inherited from great grandpa. When we got it, it was in pretty poor shape, and dad - a hobbyist woodworker - refinished it in minwax high-gloss. My teachers and a few of the symphony players in college were impressed with it's "unusual tone."

 

[yeahdisney]

Dd played until her 9th year. Her freshman year she played yet. Then she got out of it. We rented all the years and I am glad we rented. We paid the couple bucks extra for insurance. The school instructor would tell her when she thought it needed maintenance and then they would take care of it with no cost to us. It if was lost that was covered too. Nieces expensive violin was stolen so they paid for two! She never played it after junior high.

 

[disykat]

I have a different opinion. I think quality instruments are worth paying for and that musicians experience more success and are more likely to continue on with a decent instrument. (That doesn't mean buy a professional instrument for a student - just one with a decent sound and playability.)

Poor instruments that put out a poor sound don't help a student feel successful.

We rented beginning level instruments for both our kids in a reputable rent to own program. They were both assigned pretty good instruments, but if they hadn't been, we would have gone back and asked for a different one. Most rental programs use a bunch of different brands and styles in their rental program so you have options if it doesn't seem to be putting out a decent sound with practice. We ended up purchasing both boys originally assigned beginning instruments after the first year.

Both boys are still playing in college, on "semi - pro" level instruments that were purchased used prior to high school through Craigslist. Both boys wanted them enough to pay half. The used instrument market is definitely the way to go if you know what you're doing. We didn't have the confidence to buy used for beginning instrument, but once the boys had some knowledge they were able to make good judgments when buying a step up.

I quit viola in sixth grade and piano in tenth grade. I didn't own a viola and have never picked one up again, it kind of makes me sad. I now own a piano and still play. I think if your child plays an instrument for more than 3 years it's worth buying so they can have opportunity to play again for fun. Otherwise, they can never play again. If they truly never play again, the instrument still has value on the used market.

 

[clh2]

When my DD was ready to move up to a better instrument, we ended up purchasing a used instrument from a local music store. It was from a professional flute player , and had been her back-up flute. (This flute player had bought a better flute, so this one became the back-up to the back-up).

It was a lovely sounding flute, that we got for not much more than renting a beginner level flute for 2.5 years.

This flute was sold on a consignment basis. Perhaps this is something to check out too!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Quite frankly, if your daughter only practices two hours a week, she doesn't really love the violin. If she did, she would find the time to play, even with her competitive swimming schedule. Stick to renting. If she's still playing (and practicing) when she starts high school, then consider buying her a better violin.

 

[bamagirl@hrt]

My daughter is a junior in high school and has been playing viola since 5th grade. We chose to rent through 8th grade. She needed to change sizes a couple of times in that time frame. After 8th grade, we knew that she planned to continue playing through high school, we bought. We had some rental credit also. The gentleman who owns the shop where we rented was very knowledgeable and helpful when we purchased. He made great recommendations for an instrument that would meet her needs through high school (possibly beyond) within our $1000 budget. The difference in sound between it and her rental was amazing!

My son is in 7th grade and has played cello since 5th grade. He plans to continue playing for the next 2 years (our junior high), but doesn't know if he wants to continue through high school or not. Cellos are much more expensive than violas, so we will probably continue to rent for him unless something changes drastically. For him, orchestra is a fun class, but it is not a passion.

 

[disykat]

Oh yeah, I forgot about the size thing for stringed instruments. That definitely figures in to your decisions.

 

[havaneselover]

I have a different opinion. I think quality instruments are worth paying for and that musicians experience more success and are more likely to continue on with a decent instrument. (That doesn't mean buy a professional instrument for a student - just one with a decent sound and playability.)

Poor instruments that put out a poor sound don't help a student feel successful.

We rented beginning level instruments for both our kids in a reputable rent to own program. They were both assigned pretty good instruments, but if they hadn't been, we would have gone back and asked for a different one. Most rental programs use a bunch of different brands and styles in their rental program so you have options if it doesn't seem to be putting out a decent sound with practice. We ended up purchasing both boys originally assigned beginning instruments after the first year.

Both boys are still playing in college, on "semi - pro" level instruments that were purchased used prior to high school through Craigslist. Both boys wanted them enough to pay half. The used instrument market is definitely the way to go if you know what you're doing. We didn't have the confidence to buy used for beginning instrument, but once the boys had some knowledge they were able to make good judgments when buying a step up.

I quit viola in sixth grade and piano in tenth grade. I didn't own a viola and have never picked one up again, it kind of makes me sad. I now own a piano and still play. I think if your child plays an instrument for more than 3 years it's worth buying so they can have opportunity to play again for fun. Otherwise, they can never play again. If they truly never play again, the instrument still has value on the used market.

DD's teacher is pretty particular. He only had two places he wanted anyone to rent from. He only likes a certain brand of student violin from Music & Arts and they know what he likes and doesn't! That's why I'm worried about going the used route. I did email him and he told me the brand and what to look for if we went with a step up (a tailpiece with a built in fine tuner). I know nothing about music (I quit viola in 5th grade and the strings teacher probably thew a party!).

Quite frankly, if your daughter only practices two hours a week, she doesn't really love the violin. If she did, she would find the time to play, even with her competitive swimming schedule. Stick to renting. If she's still playing (and practicing) when she starts high school, then consider buying her a better violin.

My daughter attends an IB middle school with a lot of homework and projects. She has to take a bus to a hub and then another bus from the hub to the middle school. She leaves at 7AM and returns at 4PM. She has two hours to do homework and have dinner and we are out the door for swimming at 6PM and home around 8:45PM. This weekend she is camping with girl scouts. She left right after school yesterday and gets back around 1 PM tomorrow. Next weekend is her first long course swim meet of the season (Saturday and Sunday) and she will be volunteering Friday night for three hours to complete her community service requirement for the year. She also splits time between my house and her dad's house (he lives 30 minutes away so she spends a few hours a week driving back and forth). So I'm not sure I agree that she doesn't love it because she only practices two hours a week outside of class. Eventually she'll need to decide which activities to let go of but since she's just 11, she is still trying to figure that out.

The reason I'm leaning toward buying is because I'm spending $420/year renting. So even if she only plays through middle school, if I buy a basic student violin I should come out ahead.

I very much appreciate all of the posts. They've given me a lot to think about. It's great to hear opinions, especially from those of you who have BTDT

 

[littlezar]

My now 8th grader played (a rented) cello in 5th grade because it was that, viola or violin. He knew he wanted to be in the band in middle school. We ended up renting a trombone in 6th and then moved to another state. Started renting again in 7th on a rent to own contract. When he was accepted into the marching band in the high school he will attend in the fall, I bought the trombone. Even if he only plays his freshman year, we are at the point that we are better off buying than renting. That said, I'm hoping he plays at least through 10th grade because I heard from a current band parent that they're planning to head to Disney in 2 years to march down Main Street!

 

[disykat]

I have to comment on the "only" practicing 2 hours a week issue. I totally disagree that that means she doesn't enjoy it. To me, that is a great amount for an 11 year old to practice! That, along with their instruction during class should provide a good foundation.

My oldest LOVED his instrument from the start and practiced daily, but probably for only about 15 minutes at a time. He even insisted on bringing his instrument on family vacations. My younger son wasn't much for practicing and still isn't, but he has received a bunch of "most valuable player" awards etc. over the years so he's doing something right. Neither practiced more than two hours a week above their instruction or ensemble time, but both would probably run to rescue their instrument first in case of a fire.

 

[squeegee]

I have to comment on the "only" practicing 2 hours a week issue. I totally disagree that that means she doesn't enjoy it. To me, that is a great amount for an 11 year old to practice! That, along with their instruction during class should provide a good foundation.

My oldest LOVED his instrument from the start and practiced daily, but probably for only about 15 minutes at a time. He even insisted on bringing his instrument on family vacations. My younger son wasn't much for practicing and still isn't, but he has received a bunch of "most valuable player" awards etc. over the years so he's doing something right. Neither practiced more than two hours a week above their instruction or ensemble time, but both would probably run to rescue their instrument first in case of a fire.

Yeah, I don't think the amount of practice time is a perfect indicator, either. I very rarely practiced at home. I'd stay after school in high school for about an hour of one-on-one with the teacher if I was having problems, but generally only played in class time. I really enjoyed playing, but had other work to do at home. I'm lucky I was decent without a lot of practice, though. LOL. I knew it wasn't something I wanted for a career, just fun, so I didn't need to practice for hours and hours and hours.

 

[Wheelwatcher]

I quit viola in sixth grade and piano in tenth grade. I didn't own a viola and have never picked one up again, it kind of makes me sad.

Disykat, if you ever played the viola, you can play again! Most community orchestras would welcome you as a viola player in their ranks. In my experience, community orchestras are always looking for additional viola players. This is why I encouraged our son to study the viola (he did, for 3 years, but has now switched to trumpet). If you have any desire to pick up the viola and start playing again, I highly recommend you do it!

And havaneselover, to the original question, if your daughter is playing a full-size instrument, I say buy the "step up" so your child will have the instrument. It also seems to make financial sense.

Our example: our son started playing on a "starter" trumpet. Its sound was just ok, but for learning the basics it was fine. It was a rental, which we upgraded (still a rental) to a "step up" which lasted another few months. His tone immediately improved on the step up, of course, because it was a higher quality instrument. But with that upgrade came encouragement. He could hear the instrument differently and began practicing more. His playing improved in leaps and bounds. Eventually, the music store came around to the campus and allowed the students (with their parents present) to try out some other (better) instruments. We bought a fine quality instrument for him at a great discount. His playing has never been the same in terms of how confident he is now while playing, and he has the tone of an adult musician. Really, I'm not just saying that! We call him the Trumpeteer! BTW, he wants to be an engineer when he grows up, not a musician.
But with band instruments it's a little different situation: with band instruments, you can walk into the music store and buy the best professional instrument there is (for a cost of several thousand dollars). NOT SO with string instruments: with string instruments it can become a never-ending cycle of stepping up and stepping up. None of the violinists and other orchestral musicians I have known has ever had the instrument they really want; but most of them love the instrument they do have. There is no "best" violin, viola, cello, or bass that you can buy. If someone has a Stradivarius, they want that other Stradivarius over there that sold at that other auction or a Guarneri. (Those are extreme examples).
But, please be encouraged that you can buy a very decent "step up" instrument for your child. Go with your teacher's recommendation, and be sure to try the instrument and see if it suits your child's playing style and if it SOUNDS decent, it probably will serve her well.

 

[Wheelwatcher]

Oh one more thing about the practicing: many professional musicians, from what I've observed, HATE practicing. They love to play, but they hate to practice. HOWEVER, they practice anyway because they know they have to, in order to stay in shape and keep improving. Sometimes for many hours per day. So if your kid (or you) doesn't like to practice, but you can see that they love their instrument and enjoy playing, maybe they have more in common with the "pros" than you might think!