GULF COAST MUSIC SCHOOL

NEW SUZUKI VIOLIN/CELLO STUDENT INFORMATION


Before Lessons Begin

  1. Read Nurtured by Love (revised edition), written by Shinichi Suzuki. This is required reading for all of our parents prior to beginning lessons.

  2. Purchase and begin daily listening to Suzuki Violin School, Revised Edition Violin CD Volume 1 or Suzuki Cello School, Revised Edition Cello CD, Volume 1. Instructions in next section.

  3. Click here for:

    Observe at least 2 group classes and private lessons.

Required supply list

  1. Nurtured by Love (revised edition), written by Shinichi Suzuki.

  2. If student is at least 5 years old: A teacher approved and properly sized instrument and bow rented from Cadence Music Store. If violin student is less than 5 years old: A properly sized “Foam-a-lin” invoiced with tuition.

  3. Suzuki Violin or Cello CD, Volume 1 revised edition * Please make 3 copies (for home, car, and student’s room) and put the original in a safe place. The recordings are also available from itunes or Amazon. Students are required to listen to their current Suzuki level book at least 2 hours daily.

  4. Suzuki Violin or Cello Book Volume 1, revised edition

  5. Parent Handbook in binder (supplied by Gulf Coast Music School to bring to lessons)

  7. For Violin: A foam shoulder rest and rubber band, or a Kun or Everest shoulder rest or similar contoured shoulder rest, sized for your instrument (please label it with your child's name), and if it does not fit into your child's case, consider purchasing or making a drawstring shoulder rest bag to hang on the case handle) For Cello: An endpin anchor strap or stop, sized for your cello.

*Violin and cello rentals, books, CDs, rosin, strings, shoulder rests and tuners are available locally from Cadence Music Store.

Optional, but recommended

  1. Spare A & E strings for your child’s violin size or spare D & A strings for your child’s cello size. In general, the best-sounding strings are the Thomastik "Dominant" brand.

Recommended sources

    For violin and cello rentals and purchase, and Suzuki supplies, please use:

    If you are not able to find what you need at our local store, the following mail order companies may meet your needs:

Note: Before you purchase a violin or cello

Please do not purchase an instrument without first receiving some guidance from your teacher. Prices for low-end student instruments have come down recently--but not all these instruments have adequate tone, stay in tune, or play easily. We recommend instrument rental to begin lessons and then purchasing with your teacher’s guidance or from one of our students who has outgrown their instrument. We like to keep the good fractional (small) instruments with students in our program. Please, do not buy an instrument on ebay.



Gulf Coast Music School     www.gulfcoastmusic.org     239-994-8628

www.facebook.com/gulfcoastmusicschool.org