hk1997 Posted September 16, 2012 Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-school-purple-violin-20120912,0,6370815.story One day, she will realize the err of her ways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyndon Posted September 16, 2012 Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 she should thank her grandmother for buying the cheapest violin on ebay, seems like the pegs not holding might be a bigger problem than the colour http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cecilio-CVN-P2-Ebony-Fitted-Metallic-Purple-Varnish-Solid-Wood-Violin-w-Tuner-i-/261097980483?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3ccaa70243 looks like the violin sells for 25$, with bows and case Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hk1997 Posted September 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 Ironically, I can relate to her situation a bit. My instrument going into High School was a $50 orangy-peach colored Skylark which I still have and adore. It sounded eighty times better than any of the William Lewis violas that the school owned. My teacher gave me an ultimatum, either borrow a William Lewis or take the Skylark in for a $300 set-up, and I chose to get the set-up. I eventually made first chair later on even though it was evident that my teacher hated that viola (everything sounded great, except for a nasally A string). He kept insisting that I play a school instrument even though when we played solos and parts individually, my classmates all ooh'd and aah'd at my tone. I guess at their age, they're all playing on junk. Doesn't matter if it's purple, if she keeps up with it and moves up to the next step, I hope it's not purple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyndon Posted September 16, 2012 Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 the thought of a skylark viola sounding 80 times better than anything is a little hard to swallow, to say the least, if it was that good obviously your teacher would have loved it too IMO, i dare say this girl loves her purple violin, that doesnt make it fit to be in the school orchestra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hk1997 Posted September 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 In general I would agree with you. If the Wm Lewis sounded better, I would have played it. But keep in mind everything is thicker on a William Lewis. The school models are built like tanks. Build wise, yes, the Wm Lewis is better. This Skylark has a more proper thickness in the plates and a thinner varnish. Out of the store, the pegs were slipping and it needed a good fitting bridge. With, a decent setup, this particular Skylark sounded good. Mr Miller was an old school band teacher and a fine trombone player. I never heard him play anything on a bowed instrument north of tuning strings. The thought of anything in the orchestra being built in Red China from the late 1989 must have made his stomach churn even though some of the William Lewis violas and cellos were probably built in China, finished in Germany, and then imported to the U.S.A. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyndon Posted September 16, 2012 Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 i dont have trouble believing your viola sounded better its just when someone say 80 times better thats what i would think about a strad made in cremona vs a strad made in germany, 80 times is a lot IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dwight Brown Posted September 16, 2012 Report Share Posted September 16, 2012 It's sad that she quit playing. In 29 years of public school teaching I never turned any student down, and I certainly wouldn't have done it over a purple violin. I may not have been a world beater, but I knew that small things a teacher does can effect a student far into the future both for good and bad. Dwight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hart Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 I've seen some really nice sounding skylarks. Rare, but also a bit surprising. It is very sad this girl was pressured into quitting, and it is a shame on the teacher. Yesterday I played in a concert with the local junior orchestra. It was a great time for all the little kids (and beginner adults) who practiced hard and performed a good hour of orchestra and ensemble work. I am sure ear buds were secretly supplied to audience members, but the whole exercise was based around inclusion. And ultimately everyone had a great time. But nobody was left out because they weren't good enough, or their violin was a hack (of which there were quite a few). This article is an example of sheer ignorance on the part of the school. What color is a violin? Which color violin should the girl have matched? the brown one? the yellow one? the horribly bright orange violin? The dark red one? And more to the point, among twenty other beginner students, would anybody Actually notice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hk1997 Posted September 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 i dont have trouble believing your viola sounded better its just when someone say 80 times better thats what i would think about a strad made in cremona vs a strad made in germany, 80 times is a lot IMO I guess our scales are a bit different. School instruments sounded like an unplugged muffled Yamaha silent violin. The skylark has, I would say, $500 tone. A decent Strad would be what, 5,000 times better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacobsaunders Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 I guess our scales are a bit different. School instruments sounded like an unplugged muffled Yamaha silent violin. The skylark has, I would say, $500 tone. A decent Strad would be what, 5,000 times better? Get ready to be disapointed when you finaly buy your Strad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyndon Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 no one believes sound quality is directly proportional to cost, a violin that cost 4 times as much might only sound 50% better etc etc, thats assuming that the more expensive instrument even sounds better at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DR. S Posted September 17, 2012 Report Share Posted September 17, 2012 On first blush, I think in this case the school was wrong. If it would not stay in tune, then they may have an issue. However, what I would hate to see happen is all the other kids decide that they need a cool colored violin like when all the kids had to have air jordans or something like that. But somehow I think giving a child an opportunity to learn to play is more important than the color of her instrument. The football team comment was stupid, schools provide equipment for their players, or at least they did when I was in school. The school is not providing instruments, unless they rent them. Even within normal accepted standards, instruments can already range from reddish to brown to yellow, so they aren't really going to match anyway, in the sense that uniforms are expected to match. I think the big picture was lost here. Also orchestra is not a competitive sport, it is supposed to be a fun elective at that age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbrown Posted September 24, 2012 Report Share Posted September 24, 2012 On first blush, I think in this case the school was wrong. If it would not stay in tune, then they may have an issue. However, what I would hate to see happen is all the other kids decide that they need a cool colored violin like when all the kids had to have air jordans or something like that. But somehow I think giving a child an opportunity to learn to play is more important than the color of her instrument. The football team comment was stupid, schools provide equipment for their players, or at least they did when I was in school. The school is not providing instruments, unless they rent them. Even within normal accepted standards, instruments can already range from reddish to brown to yellow, so they aren't really going to match anyway, in the sense that uniforms are expected to match. I think the big picture was lost here. Also orchestra is not a competitive sport, it i s supposed to be a fun elective at that age. I agree and very well said DR. S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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