5 Recommended Violin Shoulder Rests for Children!

If you’re thinking about starting your child on the violin this year or your child is just interested in playing the violin, I have a good tip for all the parents out there! In addition to choosing a violin, I recommend choosing a shoulder rest that matches your child’s size and what they would like so that they can accelerate their violin skills. In this article, I would like to recommend five violin shoulder rests for children from our lineup!

Shoulder rests are available in a wide range of sizes!

Some of you may already know, but like violins, shoulder rests are also available in different sizes for children! The size is usually written like, ‘1/4-1/16 size’ for most shoulder rests.
Just like this↓ (See below for yellow highlighted sections!)

The size refers to the size of the violin! This means that the size of the shoulder rest should be the same size as your child’s violin.

Recommended Shoulder Rests for Children

Now that you know how to choose, here I will introduce some of my recommended shoulder rests♪

KUN / Shoulder Rest for Fractional Violin Collapsible 3/4-1/2

KUN / Shoulder Rest for Fractional Violin MiniCollapsible 1/4-1/16

I would like to start with the most popular shoulder rest maker, KUN! These shoulder rests are made in Canada. This is probably the type of shoulder rest that you most likely have seen before, right? This shoulder rest has collapsible end members that are attached to the feet that grip onto the violin. The shoulder rest can be easily stored in a small violin case for children! The full size version is used by many professionals and its ergonomic design will make you feel that the KUN shoulder rest is a safe choice if you’re feeling unsure about which one to buy. In addition to the simple black color, it is also available in other cute colors, so please check them out on the product page!
*The Collapsible series comes in sizes 3/4-1/2, and the MiniCollapsible series comes in sizes 1/4-1/16.

Viva La Musica / Shoulder Rest Viva Flex M 1/2-1/4

Viva La Musica / Shoulder Rest Viva Flex S 1/4-1/8

Viva La Musica / Shoulder Rest Viva Flex XS 1/16-1/32

Next up are the shoulder rests from Viva La Musica, a Slovenian manufacturer of stringed instrument parts with a history of over 30 years. Their shoulder rests have a more rounded design than KUN’s shoulder rests. The end member on Viva La Musica shoulder rests are also foldable with a unique 360° rotation system, so it can be easily stored in the violin case. VLM has more sizes available than KUN, so these are especially suitable for children who start with trying out the violin for a short period of time!

Viva La Musica / Viva Flex Size Chart

WOLF / Shoulder Rest Forte Secondo Violin 1/2-1/4

WOLF / Shoulder Rest Forte Secondo Violin 1/8-1/16

These shoulder rests are from WOLF, a Dutch company who has been making stringed instrument parts since the 1960’s. The shape of these shoulder rests are somewhat interesting. The main body of the shoulder rest is made of foam rubber with an aluminum plate on top. The aluminum plate can be bent, allowing the shape to be arranged to fit the body shape! In addition to adjusting the heights on both sides from 0.5 cm to 8 cm, the mounting angle and the width of the shoulder rest are also adjustable. If you are simply looking for the perfect shoulder rest that fits your child’s physique, the WOLF rests are just perfect!

Play on Air / Shoulder Rest Junior Violin 3/4-1/16

Next up is the brand Play on Air that is made in the USA! The shape is obviously different from the other shoulder rests we have introduced so far. Actually, POA’s shoulder restlooks more like a cushion than a shoulder rest. It’s also available in a wide range of sizes, from 3/4 to 1/16! This shoulder rest is recommended for those who want to use the same one for a long time because you can add air through the valve to adjust the height.

Artino / Shoulder Rest for Children’s Violin MAGIC PAD SR-11

Last but not least, here is a shoulder rest that will surely get your child excited! These very unique shoulder rests come in the shape of a duck, a whale, and more. It is extremely easy to use just by peeling off the sticker on the back and attaching it to the violin. We recommend these shoulder rests especially for children in lower grades of elementary school to keep them motivated to practice.

That’s all for my five recommended violin shoulder rests for children! Just like children, each shoulder rest has its own character and it’s so interesting. Please choose a shoulder rest that you think best suits the growth and preference of your child! I look forward to seeing the growth of little violinists in the future!

List of Violin Shoulder Rests
⇒ 4/4 Violin Shoulder Rests
⇒ 3/4-1/2 Violin Shoulder Rests
⇒ 1/4-1/16 Violin Shoulder Rests