Save with Bargain Violins for Budding Violinists
...I knew he would outgrow the violin by the next school year, so I opted to shop online for a cheaper instrument.

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I remember when my son was in fourth grade he decided to play the violin. I was ecstatic because I had a violin he could use from when I was a kid. It'd been so long since I picked up my old violin, but when I did, it dawned on me that I actually didn't start with a full size violin. I probably started with either a 1/2 size or a 3/4 size violin. And so, the search began for a beginner violin.

DECIDING WHERE TO BUY

Of course, I began with the local music store. They had a great option to lease the instrument on a monthly basis, with the ability to upgrade to a different size as my son grew. I especially liked that I could move from leasing an instrument to getting a discount on a future purchase. I remembered a violin teacher a while back offered to sell me a new and inexpensive violin for $150, so that is the number I had in mind. I decided that if my son stuck with it, I would eventually purchase one from the local music store. I knew he would outgrow the violin by the next school year, so I opted to shop online for a cheaper instrument.

PROS AND CONS

Surprisingly, there were many violins online with prices in that $150 range, and more violins that cost even less than that. I weighed the pros and cons, asking myself if he was more likely to stick to it if the instrument was a higher quality with better sound. The online reviews were helpful. Other parents had positive feedback. But before making a purchase, I searched other in-person stores for possible choices, and even looked for used ones. The deciding factors were my time constraints and my budget. The price ranges online were what I was comfortable with, knowing I would need to purchase another one by the next school year, unless my son grew into my old violin, of course. And I could receive the instrument in a timely manner.

WHAT I BOUGHT

I ended up purchasing a Cecilio violin on Amazon. Although the sound of the Cecilio violin wasn't of professional quality, it worked to get him through that first year. I didn't regret it. In fact, I was able to donate that violin to someone else's kid once we were done with it. It didn't go to waste.

DID I MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE

As a parent, I felt I made the right choice. My son was able to experiment to see if he liked the violin and if he wanted to continue learning it. Plus I was able to save a little. A few years later, he did decide to stop playing the violin and move on to another instrument. Of course, I tried for a few months to persuade him to keep playing, but in the end, he was ready to try something else. He mentioned that he didn't like playing in an orchestra. (I did notice at times he got lost when they played as a group. He wasn't interested in private lessons by the time I realized he needed it his second year of playing.) Since he was excited about playing a band instrument, I didn't dissuade him. In hindsight, it was the right move to purchase an inexpensive beginner violin online.