Instrument and Accessory Guide
If you are considering a step-up or professional model instrument, consult your band director before making a purchase to assure you are spending your money wisely and that your student will end up with an instrument acceptable for school use, as well as being the best quality for your money. While there is a brand list below, please check with your band director concerning specific models.
The quality of the instruments students play is one of the most important factors to their success through out their time in any instrumental music program. Over the years, many brands have shown proven qualities of workmanship, play-ability, and longevity that make them great choices for students to use in instrumental music programs.
There are three model levels of instruments: Beginner, Step-Up (Intermediate), and Professional. The names reflect their general place for use. Beginner instruments are designed for beginners and are usually sturdy, offering value for the dollar. Step-up, or intermediate level, instruments usually offer the same sturdiness of their beginner counterparts, but begin to offer features like expanded note range, improved instrument materials, improved intonation, improved tone quality, and improved key actions. Professional instruments take the qualities of step-up instruments to the top levels possible, adding rolled tone holes, further improved key actions, and top of the line tone qualities due to the materials used to manufacture the instruments. Professional level instruments offer ease of playing for the advanced student, require excellent care skills, and are sometimes lighter weight depending on the instrument.
Pricing: Buying an instrument is like buying a car or technology devices or even clothing, you get what you pay for! Good quality new beginner wind instruments begin about $600, then progress to into the thousands for new professional models. If a brand new wind or brass instrument is just $100 or $200, you can rest assured the quality will be very low, often not acceptable for use in school band programs. Instruments that are non-standard colors often fall into this area. Standard flutes are silver, oboes and clarinets are black, saxophones are lacquered brass, trumpets, trombones, horns, baritones, and tubas are usually lacquered brass but may also come silver plated. The issues with purchasing very cheap wind and brass instruments are that 1) their tone qualities are often very poor, too bright, and very sharp, and 2) often they are extremely difficult, or just impossible for professional repair technicians to work on due to the lack of replacement parts, or the poor quality materials used to manufacture them. For instance, on some of these low quality instruments, correct sized pads may be found for a woodwind instrument, but properly installing it may melt the poor quality key into which it is to be mounted, making the instrument forever useless. Another instance with very low quality brass instruments is that when they need repairs, soldering is impossible as the metal cannot take the heat.
Every parent wants their child to have the best possible experience in their instrumental music program. However, the cost of good quality beginner wind and brass instruments begins around $600. If it is impossible to outright purchase a beginner instrument, or you are concerned about whether your child will continue all the way through a band program, then rent to own. Most reputable music retailers have similar rental programs with monies spent going towards the purchase of the instrument. Many of the retailers have a loss damage waiver that is paid along with the rental fee to cover accidental damage and normal maintenance repairs during the rental period. Some of the retailers allow you to purchase the remaining parts of contracts at a discounted price.
As students progress through junior high and high school years, it is advisable to move up to either a step-up instrument, or a professional model, possibly keeping that beginner instrument for use in marching band where exposure to the extremes of the weather is likely. Step-up and professional instruments offer play-ability that the progressing music student needs. Professional model instruments are required of students in college music programs and purchasing one before arriving at that level helps reduce some of the costs during that most expensive time period in student's life. Often a used professional instrument may be found at much lower prices than a new one, offering the advancing student many years of top quality service without the high price tag. Frankly, a professional instrument is a better purchase than a step-up model since the price differences are sometimes just a few hundred dollars apart. The long term value is worth the extra money.
Good quality brand names include, but are not limited to:
Armstrong
Adams
Bach
Besson
Blessing
Buffet Crampon
Conn
King
Emerson
Fox
Gemeinhardt
Getzen
Holton
Jupiter
Kanstul
Leblanc
Pearl
Selmer
Stradivarius
Yamaha
Accessories for your instrument:
Mouthpieces
Reeds
Swabs
Oils
Mutes: Trumpet and trombone players need to purchase these in high school. For characteristic tone quality we require metal straight mutes at the high school level. A couple of great brands are Dennis Wick, Jo-Ral, Humes and Berg (not their stone lined straight mute models).
The quality of the instruments students play is one of the most important factors to their success through out their time in any instrumental music program. Over the years, many brands have shown proven qualities of workmanship, play-ability, and longevity that make them great choices for students to use in instrumental music programs.
There are three model levels of instruments: Beginner, Step-Up (Intermediate), and Professional. The names reflect their general place for use. Beginner instruments are designed for beginners and are usually sturdy, offering value for the dollar. Step-up, or intermediate level, instruments usually offer the same sturdiness of their beginner counterparts, but begin to offer features like expanded note range, improved instrument materials, improved intonation, improved tone quality, and improved key actions. Professional instruments take the qualities of step-up instruments to the top levels possible, adding rolled tone holes, further improved key actions, and top of the line tone qualities due to the materials used to manufacture the instruments. Professional level instruments offer ease of playing for the advanced student, require excellent care skills, and are sometimes lighter weight depending on the instrument.
Pricing: Buying an instrument is like buying a car or technology devices or even clothing, you get what you pay for! Good quality new beginner wind instruments begin about $600, then progress to into the thousands for new professional models. If a brand new wind or brass instrument is just $100 or $200, you can rest assured the quality will be very low, often not acceptable for use in school band programs. Instruments that are non-standard colors often fall into this area. Standard flutes are silver, oboes and clarinets are black, saxophones are lacquered brass, trumpets, trombones, horns, baritones, and tubas are usually lacquered brass but may also come silver plated. The issues with purchasing very cheap wind and brass instruments are that 1) their tone qualities are often very poor, too bright, and very sharp, and 2) often they are extremely difficult, or just impossible for professional repair technicians to work on due to the lack of replacement parts, or the poor quality materials used to manufacture them. For instance, on some of these low quality instruments, correct sized pads may be found for a woodwind instrument, but properly installing it may melt the poor quality key into which it is to be mounted, making the instrument forever useless. Another instance with very low quality brass instruments is that when they need repairs, soldering is impossible as the metal cannot take the heat.
Every parent wants their child to have the best possible experience in their instrumental music program. However, the cost of good quality beginner wind and brass instruments begins around $600. If it is impossible to outright purchase a beginner instrument, or you are concerned about whether your child will continue all the way through a band program, then rent to own. Most reputable music retailers have similar rental programs with monies spent going towards the purchase of the instrument. Many of the retailers have a loss damage waiver that is paid along with the rental fee to cover accidental damage and normal maintenance repairs during the rental period. Some of the retailers allow you to purchase the remaining parts of contracts at a discounted price.
As students progress through junior high and high school years, it is advisable to move up to either a step-up instrument, or a professional model, possibly keeping that beginner instrument for use in marching band where exposure to the extremes of the weather is likely. Step-up and professional instruments offer play-ability that the progressing music student needs. Professional model instruments are required of students in college music programs and purchasing one before arriving at that level helps reduce some of the costs during that most expensive time period in student's life. Often a used professional instrument may be found at much lower prices than a new one, offering the advancing student many years of top quality service without the high price tag. Frankly, a professional instrument is a better purchase than a step-up model since the price differences are sometimes just a few hundred dollars apart. The long term value is worth the extra money.
Good quality brand names include, but are not limited to:
Armstrong
Adams
Bach
Besson
Blessing
Buffet Crampon
Conn
King
Emerson
Fox
Gemeinhardt
Getzen
Holton
Jupiter
Kanstul
Leblanc
Pearl
Selmer
Stradivarius
Yamaha
Accessories for your instrument:
Mouthpieces
Reeds
Swabs
Oils
Mutes: Trumpet and trombone players need to purchase these in high school. For characteristic tone quality we require metal straight mutes at the high school level. A couple of great brands are Dennis Wick, Jo-Ral, Humes and Berg (not their stone lined straight mute models).
