Vermont Violins is proud to offer its high-quality rental program on the West Coast, partnering with one of Seattle’s premier educators, Kristina Turner.

We first met Kris years ago at a workshop where she was teaching, and we quickly became close friends. Rental clients can enjoy full-service support from Kristina Turner, including rental pick-ups, returns, exchanges, and even review instruments for purchase.

 The Importance of Quality Instruments for Student Success in Music

Giving the students the tools that they need in order to create has been incredibly fulfilling. I spend less time in lessons trying to troubleshoot around set up or compromised sound. Often students have to endure the beginning stage as a trial through which to anguish with whatever instrument can be found on hand. No wonder so many quit before getting to the good stuff! Playing an instrument has enough challenges on a well setup instrument without adding to it an indifference to the playability and sound. I want to set my students up with the best chances to succeed, a vision that I am sure their parents hold, too. I want to extend this to the other parents and teachers in my community, as well. To this end, I am dedicating space and time to making these instruments available here in Washington State.

MEET KRISTINA TURNER

Shortly after I started teaching violin, I started playing and teaching viola. It was also the time that I was introduced to teaching young students through teacher training with the Suzuki Viola Queen Bee, Betsy Stuen-Walker. I was made aware of the challenge that is trying to find a good sounding small viola for the determined little violist! Putting a C-string on a small violin usually ends up with a sound between a rubber band and a swarm of bees. I had a young but accomplished violist finishing his Book 5 recital. He was doing it all by memory with a beautiful polish to the pieces and was going to need to step up in size and quality after the recital. The challenge was that he was not even 5ft tall and was about 80 soaking wet! He needed a unicorn of a viola! and I wasn't going to find one in the community where I was where the philosophy was "this is how we've always done it." *insert eyeroll here* I contacted my good friend Dorothy Smith in Bellingham. She is never afraid to think outside of the box! She didn't have the unicorn that we needed, but she directed me towards this little shop in Vermont. So I called them.

Kathy and I ended spending over 40 minutes chatting and geeking out over violas and creative ways of making them sound better. She let me know of the different approaches that they were taking on their models and that she wanted my feedback. Me?! The next thing I knew, 7 violas showed up on my doorstep of different sizes! They were amazing! The 11 inch viola (equivalent to the size of a 1/4 size violin) sounded like a viola! The C string was rich and resonant! Since then, I have loved handing one of these little instruments over to a sceptical player just to watch their face light up in delight as they discover the sound on that C string. And the quality and evenness is throughout the range, too. I have started many little artists out on these little violas. My book 1 group class sounded AMAZING! The children that move up to these simply beam with pride when they are able to create the tone that they hear in their heart.

You can schedule an appointment with Kris to view the instruments. Please contact

Call: 360-920-6448 or email: kturnerzusuki@gmail.com

Address: 2808 153rd, St SW Lynnwood, WA 98087

FILL OUT THE RENTAL CONTRACT BELOW

Have a question for Kristina? Use our convenient request forms to reach out and get the answers you need.