Students are expected to attend rehearsals and lessons with the following required materials:
Instrument: It is highly recommended to rent an instrument from a reputable music vendor. Low price instruments such as those purchased from Amazon or a big box store are made from a thinner metal. Often, they cannot be tuned to match the group and are made from a cheaper material that can make them non-repairable when they break.
Lesson Book and/or Concert Music: Every band student will need a copy of Accent on Achievement Book 1 for their instrument. Students will also be given a music folder to keep sheet music in while preparing for a concert.
For Reed (clarinet, saxophone) Students: Cork grease and extra reeds. Please purchase Rico, Rico Royal, or Vandoren reeds! Most students will use 2.5 strength, but toward the end of 5th grade some second year players may switch to 3.0 strength.
For Brass (trumpet, trombone) Students: Valve/slide oil. Al Cass, Yamaha, and Slide-O-Mix (trombone only) are some examples of good oils.
For Percussion (drum) Students: A drum pad is included with the drum kit rental and should be brought to school for your child's lesson each week.
The following materials are optional for students to have at home:
Music Stand: Good posture is an incredibly important part of producing the correct sound on an instrument, and music stands make reading music with good posture much easier than putting the music on a table or floor. You can purchase a folding music stand on Amazon or through any music vendor.
Metronome: Metronomes are very useful practice devices that keep time for musicians. We will use a Korg metronome often in class, but there are also free metronome apps for phone/tablet and web-based metronomes.
Cleaning Kit:
Tuner: For young musicians who are just beginning to develop their embouchure muscles and aural skills, playing in tune can sometimes be a challenge. In general, students should focus on correct playing technique which includes correct posture, a firm embouchure, and good breath support in order to produce a characteristic sound on their instrument. We will sporadically use a Korg tuner in class , but again, there are free tuner apps for phone/tablet and web-based tuners.
Where can students get supplies?
Any music store can help with your needs. Please exercise caution when purchasing from Amazon or a big box store. With most music supplies/instruments, cheaper is usually not better! Below are several vendors who sell quality materials.
Vendor Websites:
NEMC: www.NEMC.com
Music & Arts: www.musicarts.com
Local Music Stores:
Cornerstone Music, 358 Sweetmans Ln, Millstone, NJ 08535
Music & Arts, 100 US-9 Suite 2, Manalapan Township, NJ 07726