THE INSTRUMENT Most of you will be making a substantial investment now in the purchase or lease of an instrument. It is to your best interest, and your child's, that they play the instrument they have a desire to learn and that the instrument begins in the best possible working order. An instrument that has been damaged can be fixed but it will never truly be the same and costs your child valuable practice and classroom time. Great care should be taken with the instrument by using the proper cleaning equipment, maintenance and storage. If there is any question about the procedure for the instrument of choice please feel free to contact me first. If your instrument is coming from someone in the community or family/friend from another part of the country, please take time to have a professional check it out. A student who has experience playing an instrument will have developed the ability to make the adjustment necessary to perform on an instrument that is not in perfect working condition, however, a beginning student needs every advantage to being able to produce a sound the first time. For a reasonable, and usually nominal, cost an instrument repair specialist can make the necessary adjustments to the instrument to give your child that advantage to first success. Instruments may be bought new or used from a number of reputable music stores Joyful Noise Music or other reputable music store. Quality music stores are competent in both retailing and repairing of musical instruments. New instruments can last an average musician most or all of their playing days. Age, however, should not be a consideration. A properly cared for instrument can be maintained for several years with minor repair and reconditioning along the way. The most important factor is that there is a sincere interest from the child and parents. Be warned that recent imports of instruments from China and India are at first noticeably inexpensive, however, in the long run they have been made with substandard materials and the cost in repair—not to mention the frustration of your child—will more than be made up in the end. Here is some extended information about finding a quality instrument. I want to caution two options you might have. There are a series of instruments being imported from India, China and other countries. These are sold in places like eBay, Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club. There is an old adage, “You get what you pay for.” Musical instruments happen to be one of those things. The materials used in these instruments are of such inferior quality that many repair shops will refuse to work on them when they break (and they will break) because they cannot effectively repair them. So, costs you save initially are thus spent on inevitable repairs later, if indeed you can find someone to Instruments from a newspaper classified ad or a pawn shop are better options. These instruments are usually higher quality and basically used from someone else’s child. The main difference here is that they come “as is” and will usually need some type of repair. Certainly the vast majority will come with scratches and dings. When looking at eBay auctions, yard sales, classified ads or pawn shops may I please recommend you look for the following brands: Bach, Bundy, Selmer, Olds, Getzen, Holton, King, Buescher, Buffet, Yamaha, Jupiter and Blessing. These are most of the major manufacturers of quality band instruments. If you have a question about an instrument, make or model please feel free to call. What is most important to me is that your child has something that will work. I would be glad to look at or “test drive” an instrument or do anything else I can to help you. If you have questions about instruments or band I hope you will contact me as soon as possible so you can have the answers you need quickly. A phone call helping you to make the best decision for your child is never a bother. Thanks. Five ways to purchasing an instrument Beginning Band Grading Instrument Method Book Practice |
2009-10 Band Trip |
Instrument
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