News - Strad Magazine, October 2011 [our THIRD feature in 2 years!]

"There is no shortage of accessories designed to make teaching children both effective and fun, as Maggie Williams finds.

You only get one chance to start the right way with a very young pupil, no matter which member of the stringed instrument family they have set their heart upon mastering. Creating a learning environment that engages as well as challenges is an important part of getting off on the right foot.

To help in that quest there are plenty of accessories around designed to appeal to children, while still supporting the serious business of music study.

Things 4 Strings’ range of bow hold trainers for violin, viola and cello use animals – frogs and fish for violins and violas, and the superbly named for CelloPhant for the cello -- to help train young hand muscles and encourage correct grip.

The two-part set for violin and viola comprises a frog and fish that can be positioned on the bow grip according to the size of the player’s hand.

The [frog] helps with the alignment of the index and [thumb] fingers, and the [fish] offers support to the ring and little fingers. The CelloPhant encourages correct position, with the thumb nestling in the elephant’s trunk.