Most often school aged/growing students do best renting violins rather than purchasing..  It is more affordable to do so since as your child grows they will have to regularly move up to larger violins until they are big enough to use a full sized violin.  At that point it may make more sense to buy an instrument.

MMM’s students have had great success renting from Johnson Strings in Newton, MA.  (just off route 9, you can find them on line)  They are not the cheapest but their prices are reasonable and fair considering the quality they provide. .  They  have  high quality instruments as far as rentals go, have a great program set up to make sure your rented instruments are in good repair, are super helpful/supportive, and are good at sizing an instrument to a student. They are also more than capable of letting you know what additional items you might need like chin rests and rosin.  From what we understand they also have a decent “rent to own” type options. They also do violin repairs and sell books and recordings and such. It’s a great place and taking your child there could easily end up being almost like a fun musical field trip.  I LOVE going there.

They are the “real deal”.  You could likely find cheaper options but at Johnson strings you can be confident you will get great  service, quality instruments, and wonderful ongoing support.  They are certainly worth the few extra bucks if you are considering other more affordable option.