If you’re planning to start lessons with Upstate Suzuki Academy, there are a few supplies you’ll need first.
Instruments
Obviously, you’ll need an instrument. If you live locally, you’ll want to be sure to check out Bernhardt House of Violins in Greenville and Music & Arts in Anderson. Both stores offer instruments at an affordable monthly rate, and both rental programs include a “banking” plan in their rental agreement. Basically, a percentage of your rental cost is “banked” towards the purchase of an instrument once your student reaches full-sized. This is a great way to make sure your student has a quality instrument all through their learning years. Also, I have had great support and customer service (over 25 years!) with Shar Music in Ann Arbor, Michigan. They ship instruments and have programs for trial periods. They also offer rentals on pricier instruments, as well as decent quality purchase prices for beginner instruments. If you are concerned about maintenance on a rental, this may not be the way to go, due to the distance, but I order everything from them for my own use.
Your student will need to be measured for their instrument, to make sure they’re getting the right size. Violins, cellos, and basses come in fractional sizes that are made in proportion to the overall measurements of a full-sized instrument. Typically, young elementary students need 1/8-sized instruments, middle-elementary use 1/4-sized instruments, upper elementary use 1/2-sized instruments, middle-schoolers use 3/4-sized instruments, and high schoolers and adults use full-sized instruments. That said, be sure your student is measured before you order an instrument. Violas are also made in smaller sizes, but they are named by their overall body length, rather than fractions. A 14″ viola is roughly the same size as a full-size violin, but is considered a “junior” viola. Remember that the lower notes of a viola requires a larger overall size than a violin.
A short word of caution here. I am well aware that Amazon, and other online stores, offer very low-cost instruments. Please know that you get what you pay for. Often, these instruments, even though they come in wonderfully bright, fun colors, are poorly made from poor quality materials, and they sound that way. It is very difficult to get a pleasing sound from these instruments, and sometimes they are even painful to play. This is just my personal experience, although you will find other comments on the Internet attesting to their “great quality” for the price. You are welcome to contact me directly for specific brands to avoid, or recommendations in general.
Books
This category is fairly straightforward. Since I teach the Suzuki method, the very least you will need is the CD of the book you are studying and a practice planner. Once the student is reading music (or if the parents have music knowledge), the music book will come in handy, but is not required during the first year. Here are links to the books and albums for each instrument:
| Instrument | Book | CD | Digital Album |
| Violin | Book w/CD – $21.80 Book only – $8.99 | CD only – $15.99 (William Preucil) | Amazon Music Album (William Preucil) – $8.99 |
| Viola | Book w/CD – $19.04 Book only – $9.99 | CD only – $15.99 (includes Books 1 & 2) | Amazon Music Album – $8.99 (includes Books 1 & 2) |
| Cello | Book w/CD – $19.99 Book only – $9.99 | CD only – $15.99 (includes Books 1 & 2) | Amazon Music Album – $8.99 (includes Books 1 & 2) |
| Guitar | Book w/CD – $18.46 Book only – $7.99 | CD only – $15.99 | Amazon Music Album – $8.99 |
While a plain composition book or spiral notebook will do for the practice planner, I prefer that every student use the Student Practice Planner sold here. I designed it specifically for the way I teach, and the Suzuki Method in general. They are made when ordered, and only cost $8 to last at least a year.
Other Supplies
Pencils are essential to any music study. Highlighters and colored pens come in handy for paper study. Here are some other things I often mention during lessons that you might want to start collecting in your practice area:
- Deck of playing cards or index cards
- Dice – you can borrow them from a board game
- Coins – real or fake, as long as they have heads & tails
- Prize counters (items that can be used to count repetitions, then given or consumed as a prize upon completion [ex. candy, pennies, etc.])
- Music stand – this makes a convenient place to put the practice notebook while playing, but since the student isn’t reading during the first year, it is not essential
- Cleaning cloth – see my blog for a budget option
- Instrument cleaner/polish – this and the cloths can be purchased when you get the instrument
- Rosin – the bowed instruments come with rosin, but it doesn’t hurt to have an extra one on hand; they can be purchased for less than $2, and usually last awhile
That’s it! If you think I’ve missed anything or have any questions, please feel free to let me know!