Protect your violin from heat, cold, and dampness

• Keep your violin out of direct sunlight
• Never keep your violin in a closed car.
  • If it is hot, the glue and varnish can melt.
  • If it is cold, the violin can crack...
  • Violins are often stolen out of cars.
• When it is raining try to keep your case as dry as possible.
• Treat your violin like a baby. If you wouldn't do something to a baby, don't do it to your violin!

Protect your violin from bumps and scratches

• Remember not to swing or bump your violin case
• Violin stays in the case unless you are practicing
• When you practice or play your violin, hold it either in playing position or rest position.
• Walk with your violin in rest position with bow pointing down.
• Only you or your parents may hold your violin - not siblings or friends.
• Keep your violin in a safe place where younger brothers and sisters cannot reach it.
• Put your violin down silently - if you didn't hear it, your violin didn't get bumped.
• Make sure your violin is right-side -up when you put the case down.

Keep your violin clean

• Always wash your hands with soap and water before touching your violin.
• After you practice/play, wipe rosin dust off your violin, bow, strings and finger board with a clean soft cloth.
• DO NOT polish your violin. Let the violin shop take care of that.

The Bow

• Loosen the hair of your bow before returning it to your case
• Do not hit, stab or whack anything with your bow. It will break.
• When holding your bow in rest position, the tip must not touch the floor or your shoe because the tip can break off.

The Case

• Before picking up your case, be sure the clasps are securely fastened and zip the zipper.
• The case must be flat before you open it - otherwise, your violin will fall out of the case.
• NEVER sit on your violin case - violins have been broken beyond repair because students have treated their case as a place to sit.
• You should have a soft cloth, rosin, fingernail clippers, shoulder rest and an extra set of strings in your case. Advanced students should also have a pencil and a mute.

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