Many parents have come to realize the importance of music in their children’s education. In college, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my physics professors not only enjoyed a variety of music, but many were competent players.

Learning to play a musical instrument helps a student learn how to learn. Many skills are involved -- a sense of pitch, rhythm, listening and blending with the other players, developing self-discipline through regular practice, and a growing sense of self-esteem as the student learns to play recognizable tunes.

Naturally, many parents are reluctant to spend a great deal of money on an instrument that their child does not yet play. We often hear: “I’ll get something inexpensive until I know that they’ll like it.” It’s possible to get violin-bow-case combos on the Internet for around $100.

This is the best way to ensure that your child will not like it.

Most of these instruments are not set-up properly. The strings are too far from the fingerboard, acting something like a cheese-cutter on young fingers. The strings are of light picture-hanging quality. The bridges are soft, not tone-quality wood. The pegs do not hold. The varnish is thick and flakes easily. The bows cannot be rehaired.

For maybe another $150, you can improve the set-up, adjustment, and strings. Even if you do that, though, it will never sound right. The construction of the front and back is usually so poor that even a talented player would sound pinched and tinny.

The term we use in the trade is VSO -- Violin-Shaped Object. The instruments are made to be thrown away. Any significant repair cost would greatly exceed the worth of the instrument.

A better route is through a rental program. Most shops, including the Owyhee Mountain Fiddle Shop, offer rent-to-own programs. You start out with a student instrument, though one of decent quality that has been properly set-up and adjusted. Your child has a chance to produce pleasant music. He or she is not held back by the instrument.

If you need to start with a fractional-size instrument, you can move up to the next size, maintaining your equity, provided the instrument has been kept in decent shape.

After a few years, if you decide to move up to a better instrument, we offer a full-value trade-in. Naturally, this is assuming you have kept the instrument in decent shape.

Violins are shrouded in mystery -- it’s the varnish, it’s secrets passed down from father to son in small shops in Italy. So, most people believe a violin that was made in Europe is better than one that was made in China. A few years back, this was pretty much true -- although there are always a few clunkers that come out of Europe.

And I will agree that there is a mystery about violins. I find them fascinating. But the mystery is in how they are made, not where. Both cheap and quality instruments are made in all countries.

Today, the quality of Chinese instruments has improved tremendously. There are still cheap ones to avoid, but the next-up student-level instruments from China have decent quality. For example, see the Strings magazine, October 2003, special section on instrument and bow making: “Is Shanghai the Next Mirecourt?” You can try their web-site at http://www.stringsmagazine.com/ for reviews of instruments and to search through back issues.

And don’t believe the label inside the instrument. It may be valid; it may not. Any shop can remove or add a label. There’s no law against it. It’s only unethical.

At the Owyhee Mountain Fiddle Shop, we offer instruments from China, Germany, Eastern Europe, as well as vintage instruments from a variety of makers and nationalities.

The true test of an instrument is its tone, not where it was made.