little_details

Setting: Modern day United States

I have a character who's a fairly good violinist and, having no personal experience playing a string instrument (I play the oboe and English horn), and no idea how to Google this, I need some help. Basically, I'm looking for a composer/style/piece of music that is "fun" to play on the violin and maybe a reason why. Oh, and this is for orchestral music, not solo or chamber pieces.

If someone was in a fairly middling-security prison (from a fairly wealthy family, with at least one well-connected friend on the outside) and not known to be prone to violence, would it be reasonably possible for them to get their hands on chalk?
If not, would the situation be different for any other type of writing material?

I was wondering a couple of things, namely:

1) Are there still farming communities in, say, the upstate New York area? Farming communities that aren't primarily Amish or Mennonite? If so, how close are the nearest cities?

2) Would there be any town/city relatively close to these farming communities where rich people keep country homes?

I'm completely clueless on New York state geography, so any help will be greatly appreciated! ;)