Instrument Upgrades

The band instrument your student is using is probably a student model, or a beginner instrument.  These are quality instruments built to balance  durability, quality of product, and price.  Because of this, beginner instruments will never deliver the tone quality that intermediate or professional instruments will.  While many students play student instruments into high school with no problem, serious band students will find that they reach a point where they have outgrown their instrument.  There are several options available for these students.  Both music stores that BDMS deals with will drop off mouthpieces and instruments for our students to try out before purchasing.

Intermediate Instruments

Intermediate instruments are generally made out of  better materials than student models, can have more keys, a bigger bore (to give brass players a bigger sound), and be built with better quality control.  Sometimes what makes an instrument "intermediate" is more cosmetic than truly beneficial to the sound.  While some teachers believe that intermediate instruments are not as good a value as the professional level instruments, they can be a good option if the professional level of instruments is simply too expensive.  Some intermediate instruments will deliver a greatly improved sound; others may not.  Mrs. Battenberg, music store representatives, and the internet are great resources for finding out general information on these instruments.  Once you have done some basic information and have a few good options, your student should try out the instrument(s) he/she is considering.  Both Heid Music and Ward-Brodt will let your student try out an instrument first if you are interested in purchasing one.

Professional Instruments

If you have the means, a professional level instrument (with a great mouthpiece) will give your student the best raw material from which to make their music.   These instruments, if taken of care, will keep much of their value over the years and are a great investment in every way.  There are many choices for each instrument; check with Mrs. Battenberg, music stores, and the internet to find a few choices.  Your student should then test out several different models before making a decision of what to buy.   As all students are different, the best instrument for your student is a very personal choice and should be based on their experience (and not someone else's!).

Resources

Ward-Brodt and Heid Music both make deliveries to our school weekly, and will be happy to let your student try out some different models of mouthpieces or instruments. If you visit these stores, they have many instruments on display and will let your student try them out.  

White House of Music is in Watertown and is another great music store.

The Woodwind and the Brasswind provides a great online resource for prices on everything from reeds to mouthpieces to instruments.