JAVS Spring 2025

Final Thoughts : the Birth of Chin & Shoulder After adding an entrepreneurship minor to my viola performance major, I was skeptical about the idea of starting a “products based” business. I thought I was just going to learn the ins and outs of being self-employed or how to better run my teaching studio. However, after just a few weeks of these classes, I became fascinated with one major entrepreneurial idea: finding a hole and filling it. Every industry has gaps—problems waiting for solutions. Musicians, with their creativity and problem-solving skills, are well-positioned to address these challenges. This idea fascinated me as I explored ways to improve access to setup solutions, having found some holes in the industry while working in that field. Recognizing that setups need to evolve over time, I became increasingly aware of how difficult it was for musicians to explore their options. This realization, combined with my growing interest in entrepreneurship, eventually led to the creation of Chin & Shoulder. It came about during my third-to-last semester of college. While exploring the industry, I identified gaps that needed solutions and decided to address these issues to help more musicians easily discover comfortable setups and “fill the hole.” I noticed two major challenges when helping people find setups: first, many musicians—even Figure 3. Examples of the same shoulder rest with different adjustments. 7

current setup possibly irrelevant at a future date. You should expect these changes and if you are wary of cost, since these items can be expensive, you may want to avoid pursuing custom-made options. These can be very helpful depending on your situation but know that they might not work in the future when changes occur.

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Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 41, No. 1, Spring 2025