Rental Guidelines

After you select your instrument, the natural next question is how do I know what size? Normally we would do this in person. But, this year we will have to try to do it online. If you are off, its not a problem at all...any reputable violin shop will let you swap sizes if the teacher feels it is not a good fit.

Cello and Bass: These families rent their instruments from the school and will be sized when school starts in the fall. You do not need to worry about a size and will only need to purchase an accessory kit from Paiges Music.

Violin and Viola: Paiges Music Rental Form <----------------- RENT YOUR INSTRUMENT HERE

The first year, it is very highly recommended to rent an instrument while your child is still growing and changing sizes. You definitely do not want to buy a 3/4 size instrument only to need to purchase a 4/4 in a year when your child grows more. Most violin and viola families opt to rent their instruments from Paiges, who visits our school on Fridays to pick up and drop off any repairs. Instruments rented through Paiges come with insurance for any accidents or broken strings--very important because repairs can get expensive quickly. They also swap the sizes for free when your child grows and provide loaners should your child's need a repair.

All instruments must be a standard brown color. No exceptions to this policy. We need a uniform look for our ensembles. Orchestra, and ensemble playing in general, is about blending together as a group.

How to Measure for Sizing

Here is a chart to help you figure out what size you need. Measure from your chin down you arm to the center of your palm. Please DO NOT PURCHASE a 3/4 size instrument--as you grow you will need to swap it to a full size. You are much better off renting if you use a 3/4 size.

Measurement Size

18 3/4" to 20”~~~~~~~1/4 Violin

20 1/4" to 21 1/2"~~~~1/2 Violin; 1/4 Viola

21 3/4" to 23”~~~~~~~3/4 Violin; 1/2 Viola

23 1/4" and over~~~~~4/4 Violin; 3/4 Viola

PLEASE ONLY BUY YOUR VIOLIN OR VIOLA FROM A VIOLIN SHOP!!!

Often the cheap instruments on Amazon, guitar stores, and other online retailers have poorly made fine tuners, bridges, and pegs that do stay put and will not stay in tune. Especially as we are doing so much learning at home right now, we want to make sure your child's instrument is good quality so it will stay in tune for remote learning. The super cheap Chinese instruments are a nightmare for kids to try to tune and end up with many broken strings and warped bows. For reference, a good set of violin strings costs about $80, so when you purchase a $100 internet instrument, you know you are not getting something quality.

Some specific brands to avoid are Cecelio, Lark, Medini, Eastar, Cremona, Bellafina, and Crescent. There are many instruments online in the $100-$200 range that will make it very difficult for your child to succeed. We have resources to help if you are having trouble getting a rental instrument. Please reach out to your director for help before buying an online instrument. We are here to help!

If your child is tall enough for a full size and you are looking to purchase an instrument, brands we recommend are Eastman, Jacobson, Snow, Lewis, Kohr, and Paiges in-house labeled instruments. If you are not renting from Paiges (their rental instruments come with the supplies), you will also need to purchase rosin, a violin sponge, a folding music stand, an Essential Elements 2000 Book 1 book, and a pencil for class.

Page updated

Report abuse