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About Fiddleheads Violin StudioOperating since 1997 by an award-winning professional violinist/fiddler, Fiddleheads Violin Studio an eco-responsible business online at www.fiddleheads.ca. Locals can visit at our home studio in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada.The business was previously known as Fiddleheads Violin School.Fiddleheads specializes in quality stringed instruments and bows, accessories and music. Our owner, Rhiannon Nachbaur, is a violin teacher and symphony violinist/orchestral concertmaster. Together we personally serve elated customers from around the world. [Location]
OwnerFiddleheads' owner and instructor Rhiannon Nachbaur is an experienced violin & fiddle instructor and award-winning classical musician. She is the violinist pictured at the top of each page. As a symphony violinist and teacher, she more than understands the importance of having good "tools" to work with and, as a self-taught player growing up in tight financial constraints, she knows we are all on a budget. Her customers have the unique benefit of being served as if they are receiving paid expert consultancy. Rhiannon plays in concert on occasion as a soloist and as an orchestral player with the pro-level Kamloops Symphony and as Concertmaster with the Brandenburg and Thompson Valley Orchestras. She is featured on a various albums and has won awards for her musicianship. Rhiannon also served for five years as the founding President of a non-profit violin group which provided violins, workshops and scholarships to young violinists. Rhiannon loves her work and this love is clearly reflected throughout her handcrafted website, her violin playing and in everything she does. She's the wife of a like-minded, hardworking HR manager husband and is a fun mom to two wonderfully unique sons.
HistoryIn 2000 Rhiannon had a newborn child and taught lesssons and a group ensemble class called "Fiddleheads" from her home in the tiny rural village of Canoe, BC Canada. She, like most string players, had a hard time finding good quality violins from honest dealers for herself, and also for her students. She was frustrated by inexperienced music shops, fly-by-night salesmen and so-called luthiers operating instrument chop-shops. Already acoomplished at playing and teaching violin, she took it upon herself to learn all she could about the mechanics of the violin and to source the best possible instruments for her students. She developed a sales component in her small home-based business in order to provide a trusted and local source, akin to a consultant, for quality instruments at fair prices for her violin students and friends. She created an early version of this website for her students herself and started posting select violins she located, one at a time. Soon online customers learned there was a nifty little one-woman violin shop run by a symphony level violinist who really KNEW the instrument, inside and out. When her first few online customers experienced her unrivaled service and benefitted from expertise one would usually have to pay to receive, word spread and sales took off. It wasn't long until Rhiannon's outstanding reputation helped her personally grow her amazing violin business to what it is today. Fiddleheads now carries the largest and finest selection of new student to professional violin-family instruments in the interior region of BC. Beyond serving local customers, Rhiannon personally serves thousands of elated customers across the US, Canada, and around the globe. This site has held hundreds of pages and the growing content (articles and FAQs) attracts vistors from around the world. Undoubtedly, Fiddleheads offers the most honest and qualified violin expertise thanks to Rhiannon's work as a teacher and symphonic musician. Coupled with her person-to-person support and service, she has developed a violin shop experience that cannot be replicated or bested. [Read customer testimonials] Though the busy shop and Rhiannon's playing in three orchestras consume her most, Rhiannon continues to teach violin a few hours each week.
Personal Experience and Trusted AdviceHaving the best possible violin shop on your side is just as important for your musical development as an accomplished teacher or a prized instrument. We know you can buy a violin pretty much anywhere, but you choose Fiddeheads and remain loyal because we can fill a much deeper role in your music life: that of advisor and specialist. Our owner personally selects limited products which she believes, as a professional musician and experienced teacher, are the best tools for the job. Fiddleheads.ca is thus a specialty boutique for violinists and string players. Fiddleheads' customer loyalty comes not from what we sells, but rather the positive and enjoyable experience customers have dealing with us. We offer distinctive and valuable expertise rarely seen in the string world. We guide and educate each unique customer in ways other shops simply cannot compete. Our customers are incredibly pleased and surprised by personal service and prompt, complete replies to their emails. We take the necessary time to assist all customers in making informed decisions and it shows. The direct email assistance from the owner is so informative and beneficial that customers feel as though they are enjoying an in-person consultation with a top expert. Our experience in finding the best possible products makes us able to expertly guide our customers in their purchases and sell the same accessories and materials which Rhiannon uses herself and in lessons. There will be many times you will need something to advance your craft, well beyond that first or second violin, and you can trust Fiddleheads to guide and serve you well over the long-haul. This fantastic service has earned Fiddleheads and Rhiannon several business awards and many other nominations on top of hundreds of sparkling customer testimonials. EthicsYou will see all the prices and policies are posted online so all information is open and there are no catches to her business dealings. Fiddleheads never pays teacher kickbacks or commissions for the sale of instruments. It is unethical to pay teacher commissions. Rhiannon does encourage students to pay their teacher for their time (chocolates do the trick, too) when asked to assist them in finding an instrument. It is very prudent to ask your teacher or local shop if they pay or accept commissions if you do not want to participate in such a dodgy payment structure. Read the Strings Magazine Article, "An Elegy for Ethics," to discover how, unbeknownst to buyers, many music teachers receive secret commissions for sending their students to certain shops. You may also glean info from customer testimonials on our ethics and our published articles: Cheap Ebay Violins, Sadly, an Easy Sell for Some: The Deal that is "Too Good to Be True" certainly is Just ThatThe Dark Side of The Violin: Crooked Luthiers, Greedy Salesmen and Other Creepy Creatures ExposedDance of the Pawn Shop Swindlers: Don't Let their Tactics Throw you off Balance
The InstrumentsRhiannon stocks a wide range of instruments so every tone quality and price range is available. She personally selects those with the best tone qualities and to ensure they are properly set-up and repaired with one of her luthiers before they are put up for sale. She also personally "plays-in" some new instruments so their tone has begun to open up before going out to their owners. Instruments are now stored and shipped from her studio in the high desert city of Kamloops, BC, one of the driest locations in Canada, ensuring the woods will cure properly and provide the best tonal maturation possible.
Convenient Online Sales Some items are shipped free of charge and many items can be combined with other items to ship efficiently cost-wise and environmentally. Instrument and accessory trials are also encouraged and welcome to allow customers to make the best decisions possible. We put much effort into seeing the customer feels as though s/he is there in the room with us testing out the violins, but from the comfort of their own home and at their own workable schedule.
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Thank YouThank you for your interest in doing business with Fiddleheads Violin Studio and please make contact with any requests you may have in your quest for an instrument. - Rhiannon Nachbaur, Owner Fiddleheads Violin Studio
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