Your child has not reached a full size.

You have any doubts about your child continuing.

You're not sure you want to commit to this aspect of your child's education.

You should BUY an instrument if:

Money is no object.        

Your child has reached the full size.

You want the best possible quality for your child.

You want to encourage your child by providing them with the pride of OWNERSHIP of their own instrument.

Generally students wait until they are in middle school to buy an instrument.

For anyone wishing to buy, here are a few basic ideas to keep in mind:

Consider your budget, what you're looking for and how soon you want to go and buy another instrument.

Shop around.  Explore different shops just like you would buying a car.  Make this into an adventure, not a chore.

Buy a violin from a reputable dealer.  Department stores and online auctions are not wise choices.

Any reputable dealer will let you borrow a violin or two and show to your teacher (provided you give them a credit-card imprint.)

Always remember:

You get what you pay for.  Violins range from 69.99 to several million dollars.  To start, spend no less than approx. $300.00.  Anything less BEWARE, especially if it is brand new and very shiny.  The cheap instruments on the market for $100 or less are not very good.  They will not stay in tune, are difficult to play, almost impossible to repair, and don't hold up very well in our climate.

We wish we could recommend to you a specific "brand" but it simply doesn't work that way.  Every instrument, even when made by the same maker at the same time, SOUNDS different.