Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Concerto

My Grandfather was a jazz musician, he could play any number of instruments but specialised in the saxophone. Although this gift never manifested itself in either my father's or my generation I often wonder if maybe one of my boys might show an interest or talent in music at a later age.

We have a variety of kiddy instruments in our playroom such as a keyboard, guitar, bongo drums, recorders, tambourine and lots more but none so lovely as this...

I picked up this lovely child-sized violin recently in Vinnie's for $20. I was particularly excited to find a violin because my boys are huge Andre Rieu fans.

Seriously. You know the Dutch violinist who travels the world with his orchestra and soprano singers? His concerts generally concentrate on popular crowd-pleasing classical pieces and waltzes and sell out to huge numbers. Well most nights before bed, we put on a few segments of one of his concerts to get the boys to wind down and it works like magic. They stop in their tracks the very second "O Mio Babbino Caro" comes on and stare in fixation... I'm still not sure whether it's the music or the pretty soprano who holds their attention but they really love to watch Rieu's music :-)




I think this little violin really is a beautiful object, it needs some tlc but I don't ever plan on it being a working instrument. I'd like to let the boys play around with it and maybe use it as decor later on (if it's still in one piece). It would just be interesting to see if any of them seem to take a liking to holding it and trying it out before we ever considered buying a new quality instrument or organising lessons of any sort.

8 comments:

SixBalloons said...

Stunning. I'm always glad to hear stories of vintage stuff being used as intended instead of being hidden away and overprotected.

Missa said...

What a gorgeous instrument, so perfectly worn and such lovely details! Lucky boys :)

Laura said...

mmmm that IS a lovely find. Thanks so much for swinging in to check my blog out. I have a soft spot for moms of 3 boys. Mine are 4, 6, 17.

You have a wonderful blog and I will be visiting now that I know it's here.

Anna White said...

Oh my goodness..what an amazing and very rare find...and at a bargain price..do you know how much those beauties are worth? LOTS! Good skills I say! :) x

Kim said...

You have very sophisticated children! My daughter's current favorite song is the Mickey Mouse Club House theme :)

Toronto Yardsaler said...

Hello,
It's me Erin (aka Ms. Hawkins). I've got too many blogs, sometimes I get them mixed up. My email is monkeyintherocket@yahoo.ca

I'd forgotten about Pay it Forward. I actually have to Pay it Forward to Mom Wald.

Thank you so much. I am always inspired by what you find and how you present it on Thrifted Treasure.

All the best,
Erin (the eager Yard Sale Snoop)

mylittlebirdie said...

what a gorgeous find!! sounds like it's found itself in the right home : )

Leila said...

Take good care of it! "new quality" isn't always better, and it might be worth having a luthier check this one out to see if it's worth NOT beating it up!
I like the idea of letting the boys try it out and handle it, but you will kick yourself later if you let it fall apart! It's expensive to rent or buy even a student's violin...trust me ;)