The perfect child violin; little violins for little people

This page is dedicated specifically to helping parents find the perfect beginning child violin. We also recommend a lot of wonderful options in our Best Violin To Buy article.

Not all violins are sold in smaller sizes, but everything we recommend on this page should come in a size that you need for your little one to start playing! Like the popular Cremona violin that is discussed in full detail below.

A Great Beginner Violin

Cremona is a good starter violin brand. In fact, many violin shops and online stores recommend Cremona as their top 'Student-grade' seller. Cremona has kids sizes at a reasonable price and include the violin case and bow. In the end, you will spend less on buying this violin then renting for a year. The front, back, neck and scroll are all made from wood, which is something you want to make sure to look for when shopping for a student-grade violin. Usually you can find these violins on sale around $150.00, depending on the size.

As a violin teacher, and violinist myself, I prefer the look and quality of the SV - 150. For parents and students on a super tight budget, Cremona also sells an SV- 130 for a little less in quality and price.

Cremona SV-150 size 1/16

Cremona SV-150 size 1/10

Cremona SV-150 size 1/8

Cremona SV-150 size 1/4

Cremona SV-150 size 1/2

Do I need to spend a lot of money on a child violin?

There are two schools of thought when it comes to buying a child violin. One argument is that it is already hard enough to sound good on a really small violin, (go ahead, try it if you don't believe me) so spend more money and get a small violin that will sound good. Teachers and violin makers who promote this idea believe that if your student has an easier time making it sound really good then they will want to practice more and will be less likely to quit. Makes sense doesn't it. Teachers and parents who follow this way of thinking and spend more money on a new instrument, usually feel like the return investment is that their student sounds fabulous, practices regularly, and progresses quickly with their playing. 

The flip side to this debate is that if your student truly loves to play, then it won't matter how much you spend. Let me demonstrate this point. My aunt teaches elementary school orchestra. She had one student that didn't have a violin, and so she came up with a school violin for her. My aunt said that the violin was beat up and not very nice at all, but this student was so excited to have an instrument, treasured her violin, and practiced more then any of the other students in the class (even those with really expensive instruments). Teachers and parents who believe this to be true do not spend a lot of money on that very first beginning instrument. They take the 'let's see how much my student' enjoys playing approach before they invest on a nice instrument. 

I don't know if my first violin was expensive or not. I'm going to guess that it was not the most expensive violin because my parents bought it used off a call-in radio announcement. But to me it was golden. I loved that violin, and didn't know that anything could be better until years later when I actually did have better.

Some key points to remember

Whether you are looking to spend a lot of money, or buying on a budget; it is good to know a couple of things when buying a child violin.

  • Violins (even very small ones) come in different sizes, and it is very important to get size right. Check out the kid specific sizing charts, and order the right size.
  • Good violin strings can make a cheap violin sound better. Think fingernails on the chalkboard versus Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
  • Most child violins are sold as 'outfits'. Which includes: bow and case. This can sometimes make the overall price cheaper.
  • Renting a violin typically costs between $15.00 and $30.00 per/month, and that doesn't count the deposit and monthly insurance fee that some shops will charge. It is usually NOT the better deal.
  • Plan on spending atleast $100.00, this is the lower end of what it will cost for a good beginner violin

    • Plan on spending at least $100.00, and more in the ball park of $200.00 to $400.00 for a decent starter violin. Fortunately, the smallest violins, 1/16, 1/8, 1/4 and even 1/2 will usually run significantly cheaper then the same exact brand in a larger size.