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Violin Care
A well cared-for violin can bring you many years of beautiful music and become a family treasure. Follow these tips to have your violin play as well as the day you got it.
Flute Care
A well adjusted flute can be your best friend and partner in music, feeling more like an extension of your voice rather than a metal instrument. Follow these tips to help your flute and yourself perform best.
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Always keep a metal flute stored inside the case or on a peg when not in use. To avoid scratches, dents, and bent keys, only lay the flute down with keys facing the ceiling onto a soft padded surface.
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Never keep a metal flute on your lap without at least one hand on it.
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Never lay a flute down on the keys.
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Never hang the flute on a music stand.
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Always wipe out the inside of the flute with a cotton or microfiber cloth using a plastic or wooden cleaning rod once you have finished playing. An old T-shirt scrap works just fine. The headjoint can be cleaned with dish soap and water if necessary.
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Vacuum your case on a regular basis. Tiny hairs or dust can gum up the flute mechanism.
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A plastic Nuvo type flute can be thoroughly cleaned with dish soap and water. Please dry the flute outside the case after cleaning to avoid the adjustment screws from rusting.
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Flute pads inevitably break down over time through use and dirt and grime build up. Flute rods need oiling and cleaning occasionally. The frequency of repairs is entirely up to the conditions in which the player keeps the flute. To avoid premature costly repairs, make sure your hands and mouth are clean before playing, and avoid dusty or smoky environments to play your flute.
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When wiping off fingerprints from the flute, wipe the keys away from the rods in one direction, never side-to-side, in order to avoid the flute keys from sideways play.
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Do get familiar with the flute and the flute's mechanism so you can learn how to make fine adjustments should they be required.
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Tuning should be handled cautiously, as over-tightening the strings can cause them to break. Don't be afraid to ask in between lessons if you need to have your violin tuned and are not confident with tuning with the pegs. Fine tuners should not snap a string unless the string is faulty.
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Be careful with younger students that they do not try to push anything inside the violin. It is very difficult to get things back out!
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Never lay the violin down on the bridge. Avoid pressing on the bridge when you do your bow.
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Always loosen the bow hairs when storing the violin, even for a few hours. The Florida climate wreaks havoc on bows if they are not stored correctly.
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Rosin is very fragile and will break the first time it is dropped. Please keep it safely inside the case as soon as you use it.
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Strings should be changed every year with daily practice. Buy good quality strings to bring out the best tone from your instrument.
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Make sure to wipe off any excess rosin from the strings and violin when you are finished playing it.
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Never leave a violin in a hot car! The violin is held together with hide glue which can melt.
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Avoid bumps, drops, and banging the violin inside or outside the case.
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Never touch the bow hair!
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Never touch the violin or bow with wet hands or hair.
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Practice every day!