Students take extra precautions

Ever since a $25,000 violin was stolen from the School of Music, students have taken extra precautions to protect their beloved instruments.\nAfter her violin went missing Oct. 2, doctoral student Shin-Young Kwon is left with adjusting to playing a different instrument after playing the same one for nine years.\n"They grow on you," said Kwon. "I felt like my house just burnt down -- no, like I had no house left at all."\nKwon lost her vintage 1899 violin, along with its $5,000 gold and tortoise shell bow, which were taken from a locked practice room.\nCurrently Kwon is playing on a loaned instrument, which she has yet to let out of her sight. \n"I've been taking it everywhere, even to the bathroom," Kwon said. \nLocal violin maker Harold Evans can relate to the recent thefts as he once had a violin stolen in a series of instrument thefts from an IU practice room more than 30 years ago.\n"When they stole it, my heart was just bleeding and I felt horrible," he said. "I really feel for the person that lost this instrument. If someone lost a best friend or child or family member, I think that's the only thing people could relate to with losing your instrument."\nIU students will not be reimbursed by IU Risk Management. But even if they were paid, some say it would not be enough.\n"It's priceless. You can't replace it," Evans said. "When someone goes into the length of choosing and playing, the loss of that instrument is horrible. People who steal have no idea of the trauma they are putting musicians through."\nFor a musician, a connection to one's instrument becomes essential to everything he or she does in life, said Danny Stewart, an associate instructor in the music school. Stewart has played the viola since he was 13 years old, and once had his viola smashed while traveling for a tour. Leaving him brokenhearted, Stewart can understand the hurt Kwon feels.\n"It's a part of you at that point," Stewart said. "I can imagine it's like losing a friend -- it's irreplaceable because you're losing something so close to you and constant in your life." \nStewart said concentrating on making music becomes difficult when having to get a new instrument. He said it's important for the musician to be familiar with their instrument in order to grow together.\nMany string musicians do not actually own their instruments since many are so expensive. Instruments are often bought and donated to agencies and foundations, which then loan them to musicians. Included in an instrument's character is the history of previous owners, especially when previously owned by a famous musician.\n"They develop, they grow, and they become part of so many people's lives from generation to generation," Stewart said.\nAge and original maker often determine the value of a stringed instrument. Instruments with older histories are favored. Often times the value can be purely sentimental, Evans said.\n"It almost feels like it's alive," Evans said. "When a piece of wood can sing, it takes on a life of its own. The instrument takes on it's own personality."\nWhen advising on purchasing a new violin, Evans tries not to tell people which one to buy. \n"They need to fall in love with it," he said. "What is right for one person may not be for someone else. It's a very personal thing. It's an extension of your body."\nThe music school provides lockers with padlocks for students to store belongings in during the day. Most do not leave instruments or equipment there overnight so they can practice at home later. Evans even stores his in a vault in his home for extra security. \nTo some, these instruments may just be pieces of wood or metal. But to others, they're much more.\n"I feel my violin is a part of my body and of my life," said graduate student Jing Yan. "It's something I do everyday without thinking about it. I kept doing it after 20 years because to quit would be like getting rid of a child."\n-- Contact staff writer Jen Nentrup at jnentrup@indiana.edu.