AWOL violin

[janey99]

I know this problem isn't even on the radar when you think in terms of "all the problems out there," but DS 8 has lost his violin. He and dad forgot to pick it up when they were leaving his after school care program on Wednesday, and it should have just sat in the caf all night and been discovered and turned in in the morning, but that thing has VANISHED!

It is a family instrument, and has huge sentimental value to my mom - I am heartsick at the thought of having to tell her it is gone.

Anyone who has a spare half a second after reading this, please think "I hope that kid's violin turns up!" I'm hoping the power of positive thinking will have some effect here, 'cuz I'm out of ideas.

Thank you Thank you Thank you!!

 

[Mermaid02]

Pray to St. Anthony for it's return! I sure hope you find it and it's in perfect condition.

 

[annegal]

Put signs all over school! Or in the school bullitin.....it could be someone has it to keep until the owner is found.

Good luck!

 

[tiggger1]

I hope you find it!

 

[beagle744]

Is it possible that another child took it thinking it was his violin and just hasn't realized the mistake yet? This happened to my DD's clarinet and it was eventually returned.

Hope it turns up soon.

 

[debbi801]

Oh no! I am so sorry. My 13 yr old son also plays the violin and we've had close calls, but it has always turned up.

I will keep fingers crossed and say a prayer that it turns up quickly. Hopefully, someone took it home to keep it safe or because of confusion. Does it have a name and phone number some where in the case?

 

[laurie31]

Oh yikes!!

DD's violin is only rented and just reading the title of your thread made me nauseated thinking of having to PAY for it if it were lost...but to know it was your own instrument, and one with sentimental value...

I will pray that it turns up safely! I also hope maybe another child innocently took it by mistake and it will be back.

 

[Cindy B]

Our oboe ($3,000 instrument) went missing in elementary school. My DH dropped it off for my son in the office, but my son was never called down to retrieve it.

The secretary locked it into a supply closet/vault in the office and left for the day not telling anyone what happened. I wound up asking a teacher (one of the veteran teachers in charge) to talk to the night custodian to just open the vault with the master key. Under the teachers supervision, I looked in the vault, and found the oboe.

The night custodian is contracted and looked a bit nervous about the whole thing--we had to tell them that it was ok a bunch of times. There was a tag on the oboe saying it was my sons and we told the custodian who my son was a ton of times!

Long story short, ask the office if they have a vault/supply closet where it may be locked. MY sons middle schools has locked cabinets with students having a specific shelf/locker in the locked part of the band room. Since each student is assigned a locker they know if someone messed with the instrument at once.

 

[Allison]

That's awful. My son left his saxophone on the playground once. He is very forgetful and didn't even realize it.

We got very, very lucky. My daughter was walking home and happened to see the instrument case sitting there. She went to see what it was and there was her brother's name on the case.

 

[holbear]

I really hope you find it!

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

If your son's name was written on a tag that's on the case, I believe that you'll be okay. Most likely, it was given to a teacher. Call the school's front office, and ask them if they have it. Pray. ​

 

[Tinijocaro]

Is it possible that another child took it thinking it was his violin and just hasn't realized the mistake yet? This happened to my DD's clarinet and it was eventually returned.

Hope it turns up soon.

I'm sure this is what happened, although then there would be THAT child's violin sitting there. Were there any distinctive markings on the case or instrument? Let the string teachers in the whole district know to be on the lookout- not just at your dd's school. I'm a string teacher- this happens a lot.

 

[agnes!]

Someone who was there took it, either for good or bad. So here are a few thoughts...

Go to the school, ask at the office if anyone maybe locked it up at school. If it isn't locked up at school, or if no-one told a staffmember that they took the violin for safekeeping, then...
Ask to put up a "LOST" poster on the Bulletin Board or wherever appropriate. See if you or maybe the violin teacher can go on the 'Morning News' (or whatever your DS school has, like morning announcements) and tell the kids about the missing family violin.
Ask for a notice to be put in the school/PTA newsletter.

If (God forbid) the violin does NOT turn up at school, then...
Ask your son's violin teacher to send out an e-mail to the area/school violin/orchestra teachers telling them about the lost violin.

Ask if you can address the orchestra or the violin classes.

Put up WANTED posters in the school's neighborhood.

Hand out flyers before or after school, in the drop-off/pick-up line, to folks picking up kids from the after-school care.

Go to ALL the music stores in the area, ask if anyone has come in with a similar violin in the past few days. Ask to put up WANTED posters for a week or two in their store.

Put an ad in the local paper.

Be at school when the afternoon buses arrive. Talk to *all* the drivers, leave them a business card. Drivers see things, they might hear some kids talking about a 'found' violin.

Talk to the school and see if any community groups used the cafeteria that particular Wednesday evening. Maybe a Girl Scout/Boy Scout troop had a meeting that evening and the leader took it home for safekeeping and forgot to call it in to the school office. Maybe the area civic association had a meeting, you never know.

You will have to take some time off of work to do some of this stuff, but it will be worth it when you get your violin back.

*Now*, when you get that violin *back*, go out and rent a violin for school use and have your son use the other one at home, *never* taking the violin where he can forget it. He can perhaps use the violin for concerts, but he is not to take it to and from school.

Your family violin will come home.
agnes!

 

[janey99]

Thanks everyone so much for your thoughtful replies! Many of the things said have gone through our heads as well - my DH just keeps saying "if another kid picked it up accidentally, then why isn't THAT kid's violin left in the caf??!!"

It got left Wednesday evening. DH searched the caf Thurs., the string teacher got a note in her mailbox, his third grade teacher knows, they made an announcement during the morning announcements on Friday, and Friday night when we had our cubscout pack meeting there, I was slinking around into every room of the school that was open, looking around. I also quizzed the night cleaners from Aramark, who happened to be there Friday night.

I have two hopes -

Either that some kid did pick it up but doesn't realize it because kids don't practice until the day before their lesson, which is Wednesday, or that some person who's out of the loop of typical communications at the school found it and stuck it somewhere, and hasn't turned it in yet because they don't realize an APB is out for this thing.

My worst fear is that someone picked it up, realized it had a bit of value, and TOOK it - which would be an adult, because a kid wouldn't realize something like that - I am trying not to think that anyone in our nice little school would be that dishonest/mercenary!

Thanks again for all the good thoughts and ideas!

Jane

 

[agnes!]

Bump. Any news?

agnes!

 

[Mady/Sophiemom]

Well I feel your pain. (sort of)

Not a family heirloom, but my daughter just crashed her cello. Haven't even made the the second payment yet. I'm in here, to avoid yelling. I Decided to take a timeout. At least it's insured, but we need a replacement in less than a week for the winter concert. UGGGG!!!!!!!

Anyway- good luck. Hope it works out.

 

[janey99]

Thanks for the bump Agnes!

No, we still haven't found it : ( I've called the music stores in the area and asked them to keep an eye out for it, and they are still making announceents at school. Lessons are tomorrow, so I'm still holding out hope that some kid will walk in with it.

A colleague of mine suggested looking on ebay, and I actually did - didn't see it though!

I'm going to call the school prinicipal today to underline the importance of this to our family, and to make sure I'm covering all the bases.

Thanks for the thoughts and keep thinking them - soon I will have to tell my mother it is missing if it doesn't turn up : (.

 

[HOGFAN]

I know how you feel. About the middle of this summer I asked DS where his trumpet was. He said he thought he left it at school in the band room. Boy we were really sweating it til the first day of school. The band director had locked it up in his office.

 

[ChristmasElf]

Thanks for the bump Agnes!

No, we still haven't found it : ( I've called the music stores in the area and asked them to keep an eye out for it, and they are still making announceents at school. Lessons are tomorrow, so I'm still holding out hope that some kid will walk in with it.

A colleague of mine suggested looking on ebay, and I actually did - didn't see it though!

I'm going to call the school prinicipal today to underline the importance of this to our family, and to make sure I'm covering all the bases.

Thanks for the thoughts and keep thinking them - soon I will have to tell my mother it is missing if it doesn't turn up : (.

You may also want to check any local PAWN shops that are in your city/town.
Never know, maybe someone needed money and thought they could pawn the violin.