Hi everyone. Joe here. I am one of the folks behind the curtain who helps things run smoothly here at Red Desert Violin.
You might not know it, but RDV is a family venture. I am Lora’s brother (not her husband, as we were amused to hear recently). She is the musical and teaching genius, and I am the one trying to keep up, panting along behind her.
What’s On Our Map?
Another member of our team is our elderly mother, who is Red Desert Violin’s best cheerleader. One of the small pleasures that remains for her is tracking Red Desert Violin and Red Desert Fiddle students with stickers on a world map in her home. (you can see red and yellow stickers, yellow represents Fiddle students, red stickers represent Suzuki students. 
On a regular basis, she pesters Lora for a list of countries where Red Desert Violin students live. She recently sent the following email message to the family:
I was asking Loralyn how many countries she has students in – She didn’t know – So, I made a list…
These are the countries where Loralyn has violin students: Total – 32 countries (She won’t brag, but I can!)
Canada, Greenland, Iceland, United States (all of them!), Mexico, Jamaica, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia, Ireland, United Kingdom, Spain, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Borneo, Sumatra, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark, and Chile! Wow!
Wow, indeed. 32 countries, and growing.
Lora hatched the idea for online violin lessons and Red Desert Violin as we drove across the American midwest in a motorhome with 4 of we 7 siblings and Mom. It was a pilgrimage to Mom’s spiritual home, and we wanted to do the trip while she would still be able to remember it.
I think we were in western Nebraska when Lora started to describe Red Desert Violin to me. I can still smell the factory farms.
Our lives have been enriched through contact with so many people from so many corners of the world. We’re excited to continue, and committed to bringing affordable online violin lessons and online fiddle lessons to anywhere an internet connection can be found.
I’ll admit it: we have huge plans. We want to change the world, one instrument and one heart at a time.
Thanks for being part of the tribe.
You can add Finland to your list (didn’t see it listed) so you are getting closer to 40 countries!
Thanks, Rik! I will let my mother know! She will be thrilled!
Wow!My cousins are famous! Aunt Kathy e-mailed me about you all and I can’t believe that you all have made worldwide fame! You make us all proud! Can’t begin to understand how you’ve done all this but proud to say we’re related! Keep up the good work!
Jamie!
How very nice to hear from you! Thank you for your support and kind words! It is so nice to know we have family rooting for us!
Hope to see you all one of these days!
Here´s another red dot for Germany, Bavaria along the Danube.
You must feel so proud of having achieved something so high quality that people form all over the world want to be part of it.
God bless, Barbara
AK SAYS hi all you family musical geniuses and double cheers for mom who just had a birthday! Kudos again and again Lora and Joe. You are AWESOME! LOVE FROM here. AK 🙂
Hi Kathleen! Thanks for the shout out. It’s nice to hear from you again, and I’m glad the Alaskan woods haven’t swallowed you up.
Wow. Been here a year or two. Didn’t know what I was getting into. Good Stuff.
Jim
LOL, it’s great that people can take as long as they need, isn’t it?
Now you also have a student from Belize Lora.
Melanie…….THAT IS THE 36th COUNTRY!!!!!!
I will have my mother put a pin on Belize on her world map….she will be so excited! Thank you for reminding me!
Im glad to make part of this project here in Brazil
Bem vindo, Nelson! 🙂 Estamos felizes em tê-lo conosco (e no mapa). Esta gostando do copo mundial?
I’m glad you are part of the project too, Nelson!
Congrats. I speak fairly fluent French and German, if you ever need that sort of help.
Glad to know it’s a ‘Family Affair.’ (do you remember that TV show, back in the 1960’s)