| student information

Spring Semester begins the second week in January. Fall Semester begins the second week in August. Summer Intensive is held in June.

Half day classes (Violin 72) are held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Morning sessions 8:30-12:30, Afternoon sessions 1-5 pm, Evening Sessions 5:30-9:30, Full Day Sessions (Violin 144) are offered Tuesdays 1 pm - 9:30 pm, Wednesdays 8:30-5 pm, or Thursdays 8:30-5 pm.

Cost: Our full day class semester costs $1,320 and our half day class semester costs $990. Both semesters meet one day a week for the 18-week semester.

Continuing Students: Continuing students attending the same time slot in the new semester will be billed after the start of the semester. Advance online registration is not required for continuing students. If you will not be continuing class, please let Joe know before the end of the current semester if possible.

New Students: When space is available students can enroll anytime during the semester and begin class at the beginning of the next calendar month. Prorated billing will be calculated after registration.

The current semester is be held in the lower level of 111 West Main St. in downtown Elkin. The January semester will be held at 410 Memorial Pard Dr. Elkin, NC 28621

| meet the instructor | joe thrift

In 1976, Joe Thrift was accepted to study at the Newark School of Violin Making in Newark on Trent, England. After graduation, Joe returned to North Carolina and founded Joseph A. Thrift Violins in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He moved his workshop to Elkin, North Carolina, in 2016.

Joe specializes in making exceptional violins and violas using the highest-quality European wood, sealed with his signature varnish and color. He is a member of the Violin Society of America, the Southern Violin Association, and has attended The Oberlin Violin Makers Workshop.

Joe currently teaches violin making at the Foothills Arts Center in Elkin, North Carolina, where he instructs students to make copies of the Italian Masters.