Hello Jaguars!
Now that your student has their instrument, here are a few things you should know as an orchestra parent.
Troubleshooting Your Student’s Instrument/Instrument Care:
1. Do not leave your student’s instrument in the car.Please do not leave your student’s instrument in the car. The heat can melt the glue holding it together and the cold can crack the wod. This also includes leaving it in a cold/hot room (like a mudroom/patio), by a furnace, vent, or heater. Also, thieves know that instruments are very valuable and extremely sellable. Instruments are very difficult to recover (if at all) once they are stolen. Professional musicians take their instruments with to places such as restaurants after a concert, grocery store, shopping, etc.
2. Do not clean your student’s instrument.A special yellow cloth is provided by their instrument rental company (some may still be at Strack for now) to help clean the instrument. Using chemicals on the instrument (Pledge, Windex, wood polish, etc.) will dissolve the varnish and changes the sound quality of the instrument. It can also change the color. Please do not attempt to change your student’s instrument color by staining/painting/coloring it. Please do not allow your students to add extra stickers or adhesives to the instrument without teacher’s permission.
3. Do not let another person play your student’s instrument.I teach your student that their instrument is like a newborn baby. We teach them that they are 100% responsible for their instrument. We do not let students play each other’s instruments in class and tell your students to say “no” when someone asks. Please refrain from letting younger siblings, friends, or even pets (!) play your student’s instrument.
Here are a couple things that might happen to your student’s instrument over time:
1. Loose/Out of tune strings:
I will tune your student’s instrument each day in class, or you can take it to the shop where you are renting from. Unless you are a string musician, please refrain from letting your student tune their own instrument.
2. Broken String:
Why do strings break? Strings are very breakable if not tuned properly, usually to tightly. They may also break from being old and worn. I will keep an eye on your student’s strings and notify them when they should change them. Signs for new strings include discolored, falling apart, shedding strings.
Since I see your student once/twice a week, the fastest way to get a new string is to take your students’ instrument to the shop and they will put it on for you. Please ask them to tune it properly if it sounds out of tune when they hand it back. You may also order strings and have them sent to Strack. I recommend having an extra set of strings that your student can keep in their case for accidents. These can be dropped off at Strack as well and I will deliver them to your student.
3. Finger Tapes and Stickers
They are meant to be there. Please do not remove them.
4. Sizing
Once your student grows, they will need to up their size to a larger instrument (for renters: usually at no additional cost unless you upgrade!). If your student’s instrument accidently came in the wrong size, I will notify you as soon as possible. If this is the case, you will need to take the instrument to the shop and have it exchanged for the correct size.
Troubleshooting Your Student’s Instrument/Instrument Care:
1. Do not leave your student’s instrument in the car.Please do not leave your student’s instrument in the car. The heat can melt the glue holding it together and the cold can crack the wod. This also includes leaving it in a cold/hot room (like a mudroom/patio), by a furnace, vent, or heater. Also, thieves know that instruments are very valuable and extremely sellable. Instruments are very difficult to recover (if at all) once they are stolen. Professional musicians take their instruments with to places such as restaurants after a concert, grocery store, shopping, etc.
2. Do not clean your student’s instrument.A special yellow cloth is provided by their instrument rental company (some may still be at Strack for now) to help clean the instrument. Using chemicals on the instrument (Pledge, Windex, wood polish, etc.) will dissolve the varnish and changes the sound quality of the instrument. It can also change the color. Please do not attempt to change your student’s instrument color by staining/painting/coloring it. Please do not allow your students to add extra stickers or adhesives to the instrument without teacher’s permission.
3. Do not let another person play your student’s instrument.I teach your student that their instrument is like a newborn baby. We teach them that they are 100% responsible for their instrument. We do not let students play each other’s instruments in class and tell your students to say “no” when someone asks. Please refrain from letting younger siblings, friends, or even pets (!) play your student’s instrument.
Here are a couple things that might happen to your student’s instrument over time:
1. Loose/Out of tune strings:
I will tune your student’s instrument each day in class, or you can take it to the shop where you are renting from. Unless you are a string musician, please refrain from letting your student tune their own instrument.
2. Broken String:
Why do strings break? Strings are very breakable if not tuned properly, usually to tightly. They may also break from being old and worn. I will keep an eye on your student’s strings and notify them when they should change them. Signs for new strings include discolored, falling apart, shedding strings.
Since I see your student once/twice a week, the fastest way to get a new string is to take your students’ instrument to the shop and they will put it on for you. Please ask them to tune it properly if it sounds out of tune when they hand it back. You may also order strings and have them sent to Strack. I recommend having an extra set of strings that your student can keep in their case for accidents. These can be dropped off at Strack as well and I will deliver them to your student.
3. Finger Tapes and Stickers
They are meant to be there. Please do not remove them.
4. Sizing
Once your student grows, they will need to up their size to a larger instrument (for renters: usually at no additional cost unless you upgrade!). If your student’s instrument accidently came in the wrong size, I will notify you as soon as possible. If this is the case, you will need to take the instrument to the shop and have it exchanged for the correct size.
Have more questions? Visit our Future Student's link HERE to see FAQs about joining orchestra for the first time!
Photo used under Creative Commons from Base Camp Baker