I attended an interesting and informative online workshop with Dalton Potter of Potter Violins this weekend, presented by the Maryland chapter of the American String Teachers Association. I picked up many helpful nuggets of info to share with my students and colleagues. Most importantly for this cold and dry winter season: Make sure they space where your instrument is kept is above 35% humidity to prevent instrument cracks and pegs slippage! (My humidifier is bubbling and vaporizing in the corner as I type this.) I’ve heard mixed opinions about Dampits, which are little spongey devices that are kept in the instruments during winter months, but Mr. Potter encouraged the use of them to help stabilize and maintain humidity for our precious instruments.

Another helpful tidbit - if you play for an average of 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week (which is probably pretty much everyone….), your bow should be rehaired every six months! My own bow is due for a rehair - I can tell by how much extra I need to tighten it every time I play, and because it no longer has the nice friction it used to have upon the string.