April 2008
April 8, 2008 14:07
Here's one of a few maternity shots, for those of you keeping track of the bun in the oven. Will send baby pics when baby is more visible... Other pics at www.freestonespirit.ca
My due date is the week after music festival (which I will not be able to attend) and in which 18 students of mine are entered. The kids are on their own this year as I am pretty much on bed rest most days.
A couple weeks after my duedate we start building our new house! Oh, and I just subdivided some land and am selling it and my existing house. See http://www.CanoeHome.com for a peek at our gorgeous house.
If you visit the Living Room page you can drool with me over my new Yamaha C2 baby grand. It cost more than my violin (youch!) but is SO worth it. This piano bench is the only hard surface my pregnant bum is willing to suffer on for hours a day. That's saying something.
My gosh, what a time...
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April 4, 2008 21:20
An "interesting" email came in to my violin shop's email today. Person writes, "you really need to look into some cheaper violins for the people who can't spend a whole lot. I'm going to ebay they are waaaay cheaper!"
Wow, this was certainly a first for me. I was shocked by what I took to be an accusation and even more surprised this person took the time to share it with me.
Sadly, I have seen for myself these $20 Ebay deals and have had students skunked by these violins. Usually the shipping (and duty into Canada) is killer and by the time they replace bad parts and get luthier work done they would have been better off with something for more money that sounded better.
Yet it's hard to share that with a player who sees more importance on "cheap" than on quality, and especially considering they will think I'm just biased. Hence I wrote this reply with hopes to explain why I don't sell cheap violins while also letting this person know he or she is most welcome to shop elsewhere:
"Thank you for your feedback.
"I provide the service of providing high quality instruments which meet my high standards as a player. I have made a very conscious effort not to sell lower quality, thus also lower priced, instruments since they can be found easily in so many other places. My business, being more a specialty boutique, also offers exceptional service and support and has many pleased customers who find great value in the service they receive.
"I understand your request but I will not be carrying cheaper violins as I cannot, as a professional teacher, recommend them as suitable or qualified instruments to new players who trust my opinion.
"However, individuals who wish to spend less on a lower priced instrument are most welcome to shop elsewhere as there are many options online. I hope you do locate something to suit your budget and wish you all the best in your music."
Have any other players/teachers experienced the cheap violins as seen on Ebay or Target? Have you had a difficult time explaining to your students or other players why a good violin costs more and why a deal that is "too good to be true" most certainly is?
Finally, should I have just ignored the email? I felt pressured to write something defending my decision not to sell cheap violins, but maybe it's just that I am 8 months pregnant and feeling particularly vulnerable to criticism...
Will be out of the loop article-wise for a while, but wanted to share this among players who hopefully understand my mixed feelings with this email tonight.
-rhi
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More entries: May 2008 • February 2008
