| student information

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

Classes are held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Morning sessions 8:30-12:30, Afternoon sessions 1-5 pm, Full Day 8:30-5 pm

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: There are currently two available spaces for students enrolling in Violin 72 (half-day). Tuesday mornings or Wednesday afternoons. Students interested in Violin 144 (full-day instruction) should email us at info@foothillsarts.org to be placed on the Thursday wait-list. We currently need two more students on the Thursday wait-list to launch Thursday classes.

This semester will be held in the lower level of 111 West Main St. in downtown Elkin. Access from the rear of the building off West Depot Alley.

Public Parking is located at the corner of West Depot Alley off South Front Street. Additional parking is available at East Depot Alley off South Bridge Street.

| 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.