Summer Festivals-A Great Way to Find New Music

Classical music and the organizations within the classical music industry follow a predictable yearly schedule.  Christmas and Easter will invariably involve varying productions of Handel’s Messiah, and the Wedding Season tends to run from late spring to early fall.  The annual Holiday concert that we all either love or hate, and finally, the inevitable clang of a patriotic July 4th Celebration.  However, unlike other industries that tend to go dark or quiet in the summer months, classical music educational organizations view the summer as an opportunity to put in work, a time to push personal development, and experience new things.  

The organizations to which I am referring are commonly referred to in the classical vernacular interchangeably as either festivals or camps (please check the bandcamp jokes at the door).  These are serious festivals with very real implications for serious students and aspiring professionals.  For anywhere from two to ten weeks, musicians will be mentored by professionals, practice hours that would be impossible to accomplish during the regular season, create new relationships with other like-minded musicians, and most importantly, showcase their talents in performances, many of which are free to attend and open to the public.  So, where can you, as an audience member, go to see some of these free performances?  

You might be surprised to learn how many of these festivals are out there and how welcoming they are to concertgoers.  Some seem to be concentrated regionally, like in the Northeast United States, which hosts anywhere from 10 to 15 of the most important music festivals in the United States, between New York, Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts alone.  Others are destination festivals hidden within resort areas, such as Aspen, CO, or exist in scenic locations, such as Santa Barbara, CA.  And then there are the oddball festivals that seemingly pop up out of nowhere, such as Artosphere Festival in Fayetteville, AR, or Charlie Castleman’s Quartet Program, which holds a dual residency in Fredonia, NY, and McMinnville, OR.  While there is no official national database, ask around in the classical music industry long enough, and someone will no doubt direct you towards one of these festivals.  

When attending, remember that most of the performers are students, but unlike the students performing at your local high school, these are the musical equivalent of AAA baseball players just waiting for their time to be called up.  Also, understand that different cultures and traditions permeate these institutions, especially the oldest festivals, such as the singing of Randall Thompson’s Alleluia at Tanglewood’s opening ceremonies, lawn picnics at Ravinia’s main grounds, or the tradition of pop-up concerts in Fredonia, NY.  

But most of all, take it all in, for you never know what superstar of tomorrow you may be watching today.  Enjoy the time spent being able to get up close and see how these musicians work.  The opportunity to see a young generational talent like Leonard Bernstein or Yo-Yo Ma is a rarity for sure, and a rarity to be treasured. 

-written by Amos Fayette, Director of Sales and summer festival veteran

Investing With Strings

As Director of Operations for Salon Strings and Owner/CEO of our parent company, Ford Fayette Media Group, it’s rare that I am the one talking to people about why they should buy or sell a string instrument. Those conversations usually happen with the actual string player in our family and company, Amos. Which is why he’s Director of Sales, because he’s bought and sold his own personal instruments and bows many times over. He’s the actual violin player, I’m such a rookie I can’t even play “Twinkle”. 

However, in the past week, I found myself not once, twice, but three times in my role as the head paper pusher explaining how in addition to helping students and players find their perfect instrument and/or bow, we also have an entire different client base that is less interested in how the instrument sounds and more how much it’s worth.

Investing in string instruments, commonly violins and bows, is one of those things that few people know about, but those who do know are glad they do. And that’s because, unlike the stock market, bonds, crypto, real estate, mutual funds, and all the usual places people invest in, string instruments rarely lose value. It’s the opposite…they tend to gain, and gain at a pretty predictable pace.

Now, nothing is a guarantee, especially when it comes to investing, but if you are looking for something to invest in that is most likely to make you a profit, you can’t go wrong with a good quality instrument. Just don’t expect it to make you money overnight.

Recently, it was all over the news about a rare Stradivarius violin coming up for auction. The major news outlets were astonished that “this small hunk of wood” (as one obviously uneducated reporter called it) could be worth as much as $20 MILLION dollars. And guess what? It wasn’t. It was only worth 12 million, because that’s what it sold for. But in ten years? It will be worth twice as much, maybe even more.

But if you don’t have 12 million dollars lying around (and even if you do), you don’t need to spend that much to get into a quality instrument that will double in value. It’s a policy we tend to strive for here at Salon Strings. We want to get anyone at any price point into an instrument or bow that, if and when they decide to upgrade, they can turn around and get more than what they paid for. 

The college student who can only spend $4000 on a violin now, while they work their way through school, can hopefully graduate and, in five years, get more than they paid for it, so they can get into a nicer violin for their first big orchestra job.

The office worker who wants to find a way to build that elusive generational wealth we’ve all been hearing about is tired of getting their 401k statements every year only to see they lost money because the stock market is more fickle than a toddler trying to decide what they want for dinner, so they cash it out and invest instead in a more than decent violin and bow setup that they also use to play at church on Sundays. And in ten years, when their child gets married, they sell it and give the cash to the happy couple to purchase their first home.

Or the orchestra player who just wants to treat themselves after decades of daily practice sessions, arthritis, and too many late-night drive-thru dinners after concerts decides to buy their dream instrument. When the day comes they decide to retire, they sell it and have money to buy that condo on the beach and not worry about what the humidity and sand are doing to their livelihood.

So if you’re looking to plan for the future and hate the anxiety of wondering what the typical investments will do next, consider looking into a string instrument. From the smallest to the largest amounts, we can help you find the right instrument to give you years of joy and a nice paycheck.

~Jennifer Fayette, Director of Operations and Certified Head Paper Pusher

Buying Your First Violin

As a teacher and an instrument sales professional, one of my favorite things to experience is the happiness and pride of someone purchasing their first instrument.  It doesn’t happen every day, but whether it’s a student graduating from the rental pool or an adult beginner who finally has the time and/or resources to pursue a lifelong dream, it’s truly a one-of-a-kind experience.  That being said, there are a few things that, as a sales professional and teacher, I feel students should know going into this transaction.  

The first thing to remember when buying a violin family instrument is that the purchase itself should be treated like an investment.  While most of the time this means spending a little bit more money, it will be worth it in the end.  Remember this when you become tempted to purchase a factory-made violin because of the price, because there is a strong likelihood that the money you spend will not ever be recouped.  However, suppose you instead seek out a nice and gently used workshop violin or an unlabelled bespoke violin. In that case, you stand a better chance of being able to recoup your investment or have something that can be parlayed into an upgrade purchase later on.  And while these cost more than a factory-made violin, the financial health of the transaction is worth it.  Trust me.  

The second thing to try and do is avoid the thinking that the grass will always be greener on the other side.  Yes, to a degree, you can always find something that is a marginally better value or performs marginally better than what you’ve found already, but at a certain point, you will do more harm than good.  Instead, focus on building a relationship with the person with whom you wish to do business and allow them to get to know you as well.  With this approach, you will always get the very best of that sales professional, meaning that you, as the customer, will always come out slightly ahead.  

Finally, try not to go down the rabbit hole of online information.  The adage of “it’s true just because it’s on the internet” is there for a reason, and the sheer volume of misinformation available on the internet is staggering.  Instead, speak to your teacher, a friend who plays seriously, or, worst case, as a teacher who knows a thing or two to go with you.  The likelihood that you’ll have a positive experience is much greater.  

With these three things in mind, remember that buying a violin isn’t rocket science, nor should it be.  So if you find yourself getting confused, don’t be scared to take a step back, take a breath, and remind yourself why you’re buying a violin: for the love of listening to and playing beautiful music. 

-Written by Amos Fayette, Director of Sales

Who? What? Why?

As more people find out we made the leap to start our own business, a common question we get is “what type of business? When we tell them string instrument sales, we inevitably get the same two follow up questions “Who buys those?” and “Why that business?”.

These aren’t said sarcastically or mean-spirited. People genuinely don’t realize that the music that surrounds them at work, in the car, the store, elevator, basically everywhere is performed by real people and those people need real instruments to play on.

Contrary to popular belief, live music and actual musicians are one of the few areas not being replaced by computers and AI. As people go more places, experience more things, the demand for musicians is higher than before the pandemic caused the world to go silent for almost two years. And those musicians need something to make that music on.

That’s where places and people like the team here at Salon Strings comes in. And because we don’t just work one group of people, we’ve found ourselves in demand as more and more people are discovering just how beautiful stringed instruments sound.

The reality is, opening this business is the realization of a dream we had almost ten years ago, when we saw our students, friends and family struggle to find the right instrument for the right price. Unlike most things, you can’t just walk into Target or go online to Amazon and find the perfect violin, viola, cello or bass. It’s a process, one that can take anywhere from days to weeks.

The options are endless and because every player is different, their need in what the instrument is also varies. It’s personal while also needing to get the job done. There is a lot to consider, from size, materials, accessories, and yes, even price. The process of buying an instrument, especially for beginners and students, can be overwhelming, and leave you worried that you are being taken advantage of.

And that is the real answer to the questions of who, what and why. We saw one too many players completely confused about getting an instrument, which can lead to giving up before you played a single note. Buying a new instrument should be an exciting time, something where you learn about not only the instrument but also yourself as a player, and most importantly, fun.

The best part of the process for us actually comes way after the sale is complete, when we follow up with the player and they tell us how much they are enjoying their new “family member”. When one of us runs into a client or sees them post online about their new “toy”, we smile knowing that one more player has just the right tool to keep playing beautiful music.

~Written by Jennifer Fayette, Director of Operations