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Rentals and Purchases
Families are responsible for providing their student’s instrument, whether rented or purchased from a provider of your choice. If this presents a financial hardship, please reach out to the program coordinator—we are committed to finding options to ensure every student can participate.
Families are free to source instruments anywhere, but DC Downbeat strongly recommends using our list of verified, reliable rental vendors. These vendors offer quality insurance programs that cover the cost of repairs, as well as rent-to-own programs that allow customers to build equity towards the purchase of quality instruments. Representatives from these vendors have established relationships with the DC Downbeat program and staff, and will be reliable partners with our team to facilitate deliveries for repairs, upgrades, and more.
Our recommended vendors are Northland Violins for Orchestra instruments, and Sweetwater Music for Band instruments.
For families seeking Band instrument rentals (flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, or percussion), please fill out the form on the Sweetwater website.
For families seeking Orchestra instrument rentals (violin, viola, or cello), please fill out the rental form on the Northland Violins website. Note: if renting from Northland Violins, please make sure to put your student's school information and delivery preference (school or home delivery) in the "Additional Information" tab.
If you have questions about the rental process for either company, please feel free to reach out to Mr. Galerstein, or the company representatives at the contact information below:
Nick Ryan - Sweetwater Music - nick_ryan@sweetwater.com
Kevin Halbrooks - Northland Violins - Kevin@northlandviolins.com
Instrument Repairs
If your instrument sustains any damage and is needing repairs, please consult your DC Downbeat instructor or program coordinator first.
Always refer any repair needs (no matter how minor they may seem) to a qualified instrument repair technician. Many times a well meaning family member (including one who may be quite skilled with tools and woodworking) has ended up causing a much more extensive (and expensive) professional repair to be necessary after trying a home repair. Often what may seem to be a "horrible calamity" is something that can be handled rather easily and somewhat inexpensively by an experienced stringed instrument repair technician. Stringed instruments and their components are composed of specific woods, special glues, and other materials that are not available at any home improvement store.
Always see a specialized repair technician or consult your teacher before attempting any repair yourself.
There are several musical instrument repair shops within a close commute from Castle Rock. The experience of these repair technicians varies greatly between each shop. A shop that specializes in Violins and Orchestral Strings will likely do finer work than a shop that also services wind, brass, and percussion instruments. DC Downbeat and DCHS/MMS musicians have had quality experiences with the listed shops below.
Things to consider when purchasing a new instrument:
Avoiding VSO's (Violin-Shaped-Objects)
Avoiding Instrument Shaped Objects
Repairs and Purchases:
Northland Violins/Von's Violin Shop
Accessories:
Northland Violins/Von's Violin Shop
*These lists in no way reflects preferences of the Douglas County School District or its teaching staff and does not attempt to provide complete lists organized through outside organizations or businesses.
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