Equipment Recommendations
Upgrading mouthpieces and ligatures is the easiest way to get a better sound without buying a whole new instrument.
Clarinets: Box of Van Doren or Royal reeds 3.0-3.5
Cork Grease, silk swab, thumb rest, mouthpiece patches
Mouthpieces: Van Doren B45, Van Doren 5RV Lyre, Clark Fobes Debut
Ligatures: Luyben, Rovner Dark or Mark III, Van Doren Optimum Series
Alto Sax: Box of Van Doren or Royal reeds 3.0-3.5
Cork Grease, silk swab, mouthpiece patches, Protech neckstrap
Mouthpieces: Yamaha 4C, Selmer C-star
Ligatures: Rovner Dark or Mark III
Trumpet: Valve oil(Blue Juice), slide grease, cleaning kit, mouthpiece brush
Mouthpiece: Bach 5C or 3C
Trombone/Baritone: Slide/valve oil, cleaning kit, mouthpiece brush
Mouthpieces: Bach 6.5 AL, Bach 5G, Schilke 51 (all small bore)
Tuba: valve oil, slide grease, cleaning kit, mouthpiece brush
Mouthpiece: Conn Helleburg, Schilke 66
Percussion: Any rubber/yarn marimba or vibraphone mallets (soft, medium, and hard), Vic Firth 5A or 5B snare sticks, stick bag, practice pad
All Band Students: folding music stand, Korg metronome/tuner (TM50), Band Mate Pro App for iphone/android
Instrument Upgrades
Flute: Yamaha 381 Series Intermediate, Gemeinhardt 3SH Intermediate
Clarinet: Buffet E-11 or E-12 Intermediate, Yamaha YCL-450, Jupiter 1100S
Trumpet: Jupiter Performance Series, Bach Strad, Yamaha 4335GS
Trombone: Yamaha 448-G, Bach TB200
*please ask for recommendations before buying any instruments. There is a lot of junk online and I don’t want you to waste your money.
Recommended Instrument Brands
Flute- Jupiter, Selmer, Yamaha, Armstrong, Bundy, Gemeinhardt
Oboe- Jupiter, Selmer, Yamaha, Fox
Clarinet- Jupiter, Selmer, Yamaha, Armstrong, Artley, Buffet-Crampon, Vito
Saxophone- Jupiter, Selmer, Yamaha, Armstrong
French Horn- Jupiter, Yamaha, Conn, King, Holton
Trumpet- Jupiter, Yamaha, Bach, Blessing, Conn, King
Trombone/Tuba- Jupiter, Yamaha, King, Bach, Conn, Holton
Percussion- Pearl, Yamaha
All of these brands are recommended by band directors and instrument repair technicians. Area music stores will be able to repair any of these brands. My general recommendation is to not buy an instrument at the same place you can buy your toilet paper. Regardless of where you choose to rent/buy your instrument, I cannot recommend strongly enough that it be from a reputable music store that offers instrument repair.
If you ever have any questions about an instrument purchase/rental, please feel free to contact me before you complete your purchase. I am happy to answer any questions or help guide you in the right direction. By purchasing/renting an instrument, you are making a great investment in your child’s education. A good quality instrument will last your child from 6th grade to 12th grade or beyond!