Beware the Violin or Viola Shaped Object...
The number one problem with a VSO: 99% of students - most of whom are children - do not have the experience or insight to understand which part of their failure to produce beautiful music is because of the low quality of their tools, and which part can be fixed by changing the way they use those tools.
Hand someone a VSO and tell them to practice, expect it to sound good (or sound at all), and there will be frustration & tears. The student will learn to quit, will learn to be helpless because nothing works no matter how many different things they try. This student will assume they can't do something because they're not good enough, but this assumption will be a lie. The lie will take such a hold of them that they may lose the will to try again. Nothing is worse than seeing students (or former students) who have learned to believe they can't, when, in fact, they could have, and can still, if only the right tools were in their hands.
Not sure what a VSO is? Here are a few people who have pointers on how to identify VSOs:
http://www.violinist.com/blog/laurie/201011/11787/
http://www.ifshinviolins.com/Articles/tabid/145/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/30/When-is-a-bargain-not-a-bargain.aspx
http://www.sharmusic.com/Pages/Teachers/VSO/Download-Parents-Guide-to-VSOs/
Hand someone a VSO and tell them to practice, expect it to sound good (or sound at all), and there will be frustration & tears. The student will learn to quit, will learn to be helpless because nothing works no matter how many different things they try. This student will assume they can't do something because they're not good enough, but this assumption will be a lie. The lie will take such a hold of them that they may lose the will to try again. Nothing is worse than seeing students (or former students) who have learned to believe they can't, when, in fact, they could have, and can still, if only the right tools were in their hands.
Not sure what a VSO is? Here are a few people who have pointers on how to identify VSOs:
http://www.violinist.com/blog/laurie/201011/11787/
http://www.ifshinviolins.com/Articles/tabid/145/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/30/When-is-a-bargain-not-a-bargain.aspx
http://www.sharmusic.com/Pages/Teachers/VSO/Download-Parents-Guide-to-VSOs/