Promotion
We needed a promotional postcard to send out and put in magazines — something that could be re-purposed for movie posters or even a billboard. I suggested the line, 'Coming soon to a computer near you' and Melissa offered a visual concept. The idea was to show an abstracted close-up of part of the violin almost as if it were a sunrise or a rare astrological event. It was a way to capture the anticipation of a new era in this old art. She set up a high-resolution still shoot with photographer Tony Arrasmith and worked out the details of the layout with Joe Busam and Nina. The day of the shoot, Brittany brought a 270-year-old Petrus Guarneri violin to Tony's studio, and they went about capturing the image through lights and lenses. Tony's meticulous attention to details brought out beautiful highlights and showed the age of my violin. After Joe incorporated the selected photo into the postcard and added the text and other stylish details, Tony touched up the color and printed proofs.

The QC process began in August and included the addition of programmer Timothy O'Neill, who is also featured on the site as a violinist. Not only did Tim's extensive knowledge of violin technique help in proofreading the vast amount of text, but his programming skills ensured that the site works seamlessly between as many browsers and platforms as possible. Tim debugged the site and wrote additional code to make the drop-down menus work smoothly across the board. He and Melissa evaluated many details on the site and fine-tuned layout, text, and other elements to look and work great. Clay finalized the last sections and prepared to go live.

Sept. 17, 2004
Launch is scheduled at a press luncheon at Le Cirque in New York hosted by Jay K. Hoffman and Associates. After three and a half years of hard work, the doors will be open.

Future
The site is a living, breathing community. Work will continue. With the help of our sponsor, Shar Music Products, we'll continue to develop, add lessons, and begin the process of translating the site into German and Chinese. Eventually, we intend to offer it in seven or more languages and are seeking additional sponsorship to do so. Also, when the time is right, we plan to compile HD DVDs of the media for distribution. For now, we hope that the site gives users the finest information available to help them reach their violin dreams. Happy Fiddling!