Why use a box violin?

Recently I put up a new picture of one of my young students. This little boy just began lessons a week ago, and the picture was taken on day 2 with the box violin. If you look closely, you will notice that his torso is a bit twisted. That is because he is in the middle of a growth spurt. Torsos tend to develop this slight twist during growth periods, because our bodies do not grow evenly. In the coming weeks, his mother and I will work to straighten out this kink in the boy's body, which will last until his next growth spurt.

Since putting up that photo, many folks have asked me why I use a box violin or what is the significance of starting a student with a box in the first place. Here are some of my reasons.

First, the box violin weighs next to nothing, so it is light and comfortable for young students to hold. When I first started teaching, I made a box violin with newspaper stuffed inside, but the violin was too heavy for young students. Using packing peanuts for the inside of the violin gives the box instrument some weight and helps the box to retain its shape in the event that someone sits or steps on it.

Second, the box violin is easily made and replaceable. So while the student is learning how to take care of and play the new "violin," the parents and I do not need to worry about any damage to the box violin. Pets can tear it apart, or younger siblings can sit or step on it, and the parents and I will not cry over it or call the insurance adjuster. We'll be able to use the experience as an object lesson for the child about how to take better care of the instrument.

Third, the box doesn't make any musical sound, although it does make rhythmic sounds. This is helpful because the student doesn't get distracted from the tasks we are working on during lessons -- usually posture and bowing rhythms. If we had to factor in good tone production and eliminating squawky sounds at the same time as we are focusing on good posture and rhythmic impulse, the student would go crazy with all the things to be handled at one time. Using the box helps the parent and me break the skills learning into a smaller set, which keeps the student from becoming overwhelmed by too many points to think about. We can continue to build concentration and focus, instill good posture habits, and awaken the inner rhythmic pulse.

Fourth, using the box violin is a strong motivational tool. The box is the step before a real violin. I frequently mention during lessons that we are learning skills that we will be using with the real violin when we finally get to that point. I often discuss openly with the parent (in the student's hearing) about the skills that we are working to master that will signal when it is time to move to the real violin. Most students are so eager to get to the point of having a real violin, that they will practice anything 100 times if it means that they will move closer to getting the real violin.

Is there ever a time when I start a student on a real violin? Yes, if it is an adult beginner or an older child. I consider each situation carefully before beginning lessons to decide whether a real violin is appropriate. In the case of a child, I might still have 1 or 2 lessons on the box just to get us going, and I make sure that the student understands that the box is extremely temporary.

Another instance when I might consider moving to the box violin quicker than usual is in the case of a student with a well developed aural ability. I have two such young students right now. One is the 3 year old girl who was featured on the blog home page for the past several months (the student who started when she was 2.5 years old). I recently switched this student from the box to the real violin because she was doing so well with her skills on the box. She has quickly adjusted to the violin and is copying the rhythmic musical sounds she hears.

Another student who is 4 is using a real violin because she was more responsive to the actual musical sounds of the violin than she was to the rhythmic sounds of the box. Since this particular child is highly energetic, I felt we needed the added sounds in the air for this student to make a better connection between physical movement and sound production on the violin. So far it is working.


Have a good week. Check out the short three second video below for some sage advice from a 7 year old.