My main performance instruments are my treasured performance companions, and when I'm teaching secondary or tertiary (or adult) students, there is no problem with using them. In fact, I much prefer to be playing on a familiar instrument in order to beat demonstrate what I need to talk about.

But I have recently taken on a few primary age students... And there are a couple of them who are a bit unaware with what they are doing with their hands, especially the one that is holding the bow! That, combined with a disturbingly low level of concentration ability, means that they are often singing their bow very dangerously near my instruments!

Oddly enough, even after repeated cautions... They still do it. And more annoyingly, the parents don't back up. Perhaps they will if I slap the kid... But I'm not sure that that is really allowed any more!

So, I figured that it was about time that I picked up a cheap teaching violin for these teaching these students.

I saw on the weekend, that someone was selling a full sized violin on Facebook. I figured I may as well visit to see what it was like... It was cheap, and I just needed something that wasn't actively terrible. Although, even that low bar can be a bit hard for the factory instruments to clear.

Anyway, I came by... And the guy was selling his kid's violin. The boy was now over thirty and so they definitely didn't need it anymore. He was talking up the instrument, which was really nice... But I could see that it was just a mid tier factory one.

I asked if I could try it... And they said yes. So I twiddled around on it... And he said "wow, you are really good!". I just laughed and said, it is my job!

Anyway, aside from being a bit heavy and a touch less full on the lower register... I figured that I could do much worse at this low price point! And I could change to a decent set of strings which might help.

So, a new new violin for teaching those awkward students... I no longer have to dodge the flailing bows anymore. If nothing else, the case is actually probably worth it!

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