How to locate teachers and violin shops:

1. Contact the music department string teachers of any local universities: they may not take beginning students, or they may charge more than you care to spend initially, but they are likely to know the good local teachers, or recommend one of their abler graduate students.
   
   
2. Call your public school service center, and ask for the number of the state and local Music Teachers Association (MTA..)
   
   
3. Call your Musician's union local (yellow pages): AFM - American Federation of Musicians.
   
   
4. Call local string repair and music shops; they often have lists of local teachers.
   
   
5. Contact the Suzuki Association of the Americas.
   
   
6. Post your request on a String-related Listservs.
   
   
7. Check Teachers’ Directories such as Teachers' Directory, Violinist.com, Suzuki Teachers' Directory, Music Staff, Violin World, Music Teachers' List.
   

Personally, I would never send a child to a randomly chosen teacher, no matter how highly recommended, without attending the lessons myself in order to determine if: (a) the teacher treats the child with respect; (b) the environment is comfortable for the child; and (c) the teacher has an instrument and is able to adequately demonstrate on it.

Connie Sunday: Freelance studio musician, strings and piano teacher, author of Violin FAQ and numerous essays in violin pedagogy. Further information can be found at connexions.