Options for Obtaining an Instrument

1. Rent from a Local Music Store

Most students rent their instrument from a local music store such as Schultz Strings or West Music here in Cedar Rapids. Please do not purchase an instrument until your student has grown and is ready for a full-sized instrument! The rental packages at Schultz Strings and West Music are both extremely good deals - students will start on a smaller instrument that fits them, and when they are ready to size up, they can exchange to a bigger size at no additional cost. Even better, once they are ready for a full-sized instrument, you can use the money you've already paid in rental fees to help purchase the instrument. 

2. Use an Instrument That You Already Own

Sometimes, families may have an old violin sitting in their attics that they would like their student to use. In order to use instruments such as these, we need to be sure that it is (1) the correct-sized instrument and (2) all pieces of it are in working order. To check both of these, you can either take the instrument to a string-repair person (a "luthier", such as Schultz Strings) or bring it to Ms. Kroymann to assess its condition. If the instrument is too big for your student, they should not play on it - playing on a too-large instrument is known to cause injuries. If it needs maintenance work (such as replacing the strings, refitting the bridge, glueing any popped seams, etc.), those will need to be done before the school year begins.

Students who play cello or bass will use a school-owned instrument during the school day. The instrument they use will be shared between several students and therefore cannot be sent home as a home instrument or used for evening concerts. Rather than a full rental fee, there will be a reduced usage fee of $25 assessed for these instruments ($10 if you qualify for reduced school fees, $0 if you qualify for free school fees) to help cover the maintenance cost of these instruments. Students will be required to obtain their own home instrument for home practice and to bring to concerts.

4. Purchase an Instrument Online - Not Recommended!!

Online instrument purchases with advertised sales and specials may seem like a more cost-effective option than renting from a music store - especially if your student isn't 100% sure that they'll want to keep playing in orchestra after their first year. But cheaper instruments purchased online aren't able to produce the same sound that good-quality instruments from reputable music stores can produce, and they often can't even be tuned correctly. Beginner students often think that they are the reason their instrument sounds so bad, rather than the instrument itself being the problem, which leads to low confidence and the belief that they just aren't good at orchestra. Additionally, students in 5th grade typically require smaller, fractional sized instruments. If you purchase an instrument right away, you'll only end up needing to purchase another instrument when they grow and need a larger size. Over just a short amount of time, obtaining an instrument this way leads to a more expensive, less enjoyable experience for everyone involved. If you have questions about the quality of an instrument you found online, feel free to reach out to Ms. Kroymann to ask.