Created by: Mrs. Cates, Ms. Coghill, Mrs. Barthel Photos by: Karely Washoe County School District 5th Grade Exploratory Violin Unit Violin Care Created by: Mrs. Cates, Ms. Coghill, Mrs. Barthel Photos by: Karely

Introduction “Hi, I’m Karely. Mrs. Cates was my strings teacher at Risley Elementary School. I play violin, viola, and bass. I hope you have fun playing the violin. I’ll be helping you along the way!”

Opening Your Case “I carefully lay my case flat on the floor to make sure my violin won’t fall out when I open it. When you unlock the latches (or unzip the case), wait for your teacher’s permission before getting your violin out.”

Look at your beautiful violin and bow! “Before taking your violin out of the case, identify all the parts of the violin and bow with your class.”

WARNING! For your own safety, and the well-being of the instrument, do not touch the pegs, bridge, or fine tuners. These parts keep the strings in tune and in place. Moving them will cause the string to go out of tune, or even break.

Picking up your Violin “I lift my violin using both hands – my left hand goes under the neck, and my right hand holds the violin near the end button.”

Set your violin on your lap, then turn it over. "Be sure nothing touches the bridge when you turn your violin over. I place my bridge right between my knees.”

How to Put your sponge on… “I put a sponge on my violin to help me hold it better. Gently lift your rubberband, slide the sponge underneath, then scoot it down towards your end button. Now your sponge is ready to go!”

Rest Position “I place my left hand on the left shoulder of the violin to hold it securely. My right hand cradles the bottom of the violin without touching the bridge. Nothing should be touching the strings in rest position.”

Cleaning Your Violin “After I finish playing, I always wipe my violin with a cleaning cloth. This removes dirt and rosin (we’ll learn about that later!) so my violin stays pretty and shiny. You can find your cleaning cloth in your case pocket.”

Putting the Violin Away “Lastly, take off your sponge, place your violin in your case, and set the sponge on top. Your violin is now ready to be closed. Next time you come to music class, the violin will be ready!”

You are now prepared to take care of your violin!