Instruments & Supplies

Instruments

All brass and woodwind players are required to have their own instrument.  Options include purchasing your own or renting through a music store.  In some cases, students may rent a school-owned instrument.  Large and/or expensive instruments including French horn, baritone, tuba, oboe, bassoon, bass clarinet, tenor sax, and bari sax are typically rented through the school.  *A limited number of smaller instruments are available for rental from the school.  Priority for these smaller instruments is given to younger students.  

Our Ames 5-12 band instructors recommend certain brands of instruments based on helping students succeed and helping parents to make quality, cost-effective investments. These are the brands we recommend for beginner-level instruments (in order of preference): 

• • Flute: Yamaha, Gemeinhardt, Armstrong, Selmer

  • Clarinet: Yamaha, Selmer; also Bundy, Vito, Artley

  • Saxophone: Yamaha

  • Trumpet: Yamaha, Bach

  • Trombone: Yamaha, Bach

        Other brands might also be acceptable.  Parents are welcome to bring used instruments to an AMS instructor for evaluation.  

Step-up Instruments

Please refer to this page for information on instrument upgrades.