Musical hobby costs pretty penny

The perfect harmony can cost thousands of dollars.\nBut that moment of symphonic bliss is well worth it to may IU music majors. Even if it means taking out a loan, or mortgaging your house.\nFreshman music major Erica Chung summed up why her father paid $8,500 for her flute. \n"It fits well in the ensemble," she said. "And for the sound. It just balances the sound of the ensemble."\nRuss, a music major who plays the viola, agrees with Chung. He asks that the IDS not use his last name for fear his $25,000 instrument would be stolen.\n"I've never owned a car or bike, and this is why," he said, holding up his viola case. \nRuss was able to afford his viola by buying old, used instruments, fixing them up, and selling them as new. \n"I once sold an instrument for twice the amount of money that I bought it for," Russ said. "If it's less than 50 years old, it goes up in value pretty quickly. Older instruments are harder to sell as new. You just have to know where to buy and sell." \nRuss had to tap his savings account to pay the expenses, and his parents helped him out. \nGalen Kaup, a masters student in the school of music, shares Russ's passion for music. He paid nearly $8,000 for his violin. \n"This was not the case for my previous instruments," he said. "Plus, it's insured for $10,000."\nAlthough Galen's violin is on the less expensive end of professional instruments, it was hard earned. He afforded it by selling tapes in New York of his fiddle shows. The more expensive of the violin family can cost up to $500,000.\nGarret Byrnes, a doctoral student who plays the classical guitar, has seen this kind of extreme sacrifice to afford an instrument. \n"I know a cello instructor in Boston who paid more for his $500,000 cello than for the mortgage on his house," he said.\nMusic here at IU seems to not only be a full-time commitment, but a lifetime one. Many students give up their life savings on instruments.\nSusan Watts' family sacrificed heavily in order to purchase her instrument. Watts owns a Powell handmade flute -- a $10,000 gift from her parents. \n"They paid for it out of their retirement fund," she said. \nSusan pays for maintenance out of her own pocket. Her flute requires annual cleanings, which cost $100, and any bent rods or pads must be immediately replaced. Caring for the instrument is a high priority for Susan. Everyday cleaning requires taking the instrument apart piece by piece and swabbing it out, then placing each piece into a specially molded velvet-linedbox.\nAaron Douberteen, a senior percussion major, has chosen an instrument requiring less maintenance. His instrument, the timpani, are large drums that are played by foot pedals that can be tuned to several different pitches.\nAaron's drums were supplied by the percussion department and were formerly owned by a professional orchestra before being bought by IU.\n"We just have to buy our own sticks and be careful with the drums, then put them all back into their places when we're done," Douberteen said. \nFreshman Steve Alverti is in the process of investing in a new bassoon to replace his $3,700 instrument he received from his parent in middle school. Alverti is relying on a student loan to purchase his new bassoon, which will cost between $16,000-20,000. But he is glad to make the sacrifice. \n"I love playing," he said. "This is what I want to do with my life." \nWhen asked why he's taking his life in the musical direction, Alverti said, "I guess because I'm selfish. It makes me feel good, it's how I express myself. I know that's kinda cliché.It's just what I love to do"