The clarinet requires a few different supplies, all of which are very important:

• Reeds - reeds are the thin wood pieces that produce the sound. You'll need at least 5; they wear out after a while, and beginners tend to break a couple while they're learning how to put everything together. There are a lot of very poor quality reeds floating around on Amazon these days; the brand you buy does matter. Mrs. Topp recommends the following brands for beginners: Juno, Rico, Rico Royal, and Mitchell Lurie.

• Cork grease - this is what you put on the corks of the clarinet joints to put it together more easily.

• Cleaning swab - for wiping the moisture out of the clarinet after playing. It's important that the fabric is silky and not suede-like or bulky, so they don't get stuck in the clarinet. I've had many students purchase cleaning kits on Amazon lately that have swabs made with suede-like material, and they get stuck inside clarinets very easily. Please stay away from these (there are a LOT of them on Amazon).

• Very small flat head screwdriver - to tighten screws on the clarinet

• Tradition of Excellence Clarinet Book 1

There are a LOT of cleaning kits out there that include these items and more, but the items listed here are the only ones you really need.

They sell "pad savers" for clarinets (fuzzy sticks that are left in the clarinet when not in use) that are supposed to serve the same function as swabs. DO NOT use these; they actually accelerate the deterioration of the pads on the clarinet. Pads are the parts on the bottom of the keys that create a seal when the button is shut.

Students should have a name tag or their name on their case.

clarinet lyre and flip folder

Clarinet students in 7th grade and up will need to purchase a lyre and flip folder that look similar to the picture above. The links below are for Amazon, but you can find these lyres and flip folders at any music store.

Clarinet is one of the instruments students can start band on. It has some things in common with recorder (which all 4th graders learn how to play with Mrs. McGill), and it is a smaller instrument (easy to handle and transport).

Mrs. Topp hosts a try out night at SES each spring for 4th graders to try each of the different starter band instruments (flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, and percussion). All students are STRONGLY encouraged to try all of these instruments before making a definite decision.

A person's success on an instrument is largely influenced by the effort and time that is dedicated to learning and practicing the instrument. However, there are some physical characteristics that can make playing the flute easier. Click on the link below to read more.

what clarinet should i buy?

Best Brands: Buffet, Yamaha, Selmer, Backun

Good Brands: Bundy, Artley, Jupiter, Leblanc, Vito, P. Mauriat

Avoid these Brands: Glory, Cecilio, Mendini, Herche, Eastar, Jean Paul, Eastrock, Roffee, Hisonic, Kaizer, Yinfente, Lazarro, Aileen Lexington

Beginning band students do not need new or professional instruments; they need an instrument that can take a few hits and will still play well. Another important factor is to have a good mouthpiece (see upgraded supplies) and decent reeds (see beginner clarinet supplies).

Clarinets are usually made of plastic or grenadilla wood. Beginners should have plastic clarinets; more advanced players should have wood clarinets. Wood clarinets should never be played outside (marching band).

There are a lot of brands lurking, especially on Amazon, that seem to be very economical and convenient, but after the first month or two, they start to exhibit chronic problems (see colorful clarinets in photo above). Many Amazon brands are not built to industry standards, so replacement parts can be difficult to find or materials are so inferior they can't be repaired. It is strongly recommended that you stick to the following brands: Yamaha, Buffet, Selmer, LeBlanc, Vito, Artley, Prelude, Backun, Bundy, and Jupiter.

Once a student has made it past the first 2 or 3 years of band and knows that playing an instrument is something that's really important to them, then you should consider investing in a better instrument and/or mouthpiece. Click on the following link for more detailed information.

upgraded supplies

Reeds - Rico, Juno, and brands that cost about the same as those are okay for the first couple years of band, but if you really want to have a great sound, you have to use quality reeds. There are many brands of reeds out there, but there's really only one brand I recommend: Vandoren. Their reeds are better quality, longer-lasting, and produce better tone than any other reeds I have used. There are several lines within the Vandoren brand: traditional, V12, 56 Rue Lepic, and V21. Traditional and V12 are reliable, and they run a quarter to a half strength harder than Rico, Juno, etc. I prefer the traditional Vandorens.

Mouthpiece - a good mouthpiece this is the easiest, fastest way to improve your sound on clarinet. A $50 clarinet can sound like a professional instrument with the right mouthpiece. Most clarinets come with a no-name, non-engineered mouthpiece that isn't actually meant to be played on because good clarinet mouthpieces are not made by the same companies that make the instruments. Clarinet makers expect that people will buy their own mouthpiece to use with the clarinet, so no effort is put into providing a quality mouthpiece with the instrument.

The mouthpieces listed below are in order from lowest price to highest price. The Vandoren mouthpieces are standard equipment for college-level clarinetists. Remember, always try the equipment and decide what feels and sounds the best to YOU! If you don't like it, don't buy/keep/use it.

Fabric Ligature - the standard metal or plastic ligatures that come with most clarinets are functional but don't always promote good sound. They are also flimsy. Fabric ligatures are unbreakable (unless you cut them) and promote darker, richer tone. If you have a plastic or metal ligature that breaks, gets smashed, or is otherwise deteriorating, get a fabric ligature to replace it. They are standard equipment for many professional clarinetists.

There are many upper level metal ligatures out there as well, but the Rovner ligature (below) is my recommendation. It also comes with a mouthpiece cap since others won't fit a Rovner ligature.

Clarinet stand - stands are really nice to have when going back and forth between playing your instrument and something else that requires both hands (writing on music, looking through music, etc). This is a safe way for a student to set their instrument down without the danger of forgetting it's on the chair or bed and sitting on it. The model linked below is extra convenient because the legs fold up into it.

Plastic Reed for Marching/Pep Band - cane reeds aren't necessarily a requirement when you're going for maximum volume and power in marching and pep band. Recently, huge strides have been made with the quality of plastic reeds, and there are some very nice sounding (and powerful) plastic clarinet reeds available.

Reed Case/Guard - the plastic "cases" that reeds come in are actually meant to be thrown away. A better way to store reeds is in a case that helps prevent them from warping (prolonging their life) by allowing them to dry out without drying out too much. Reed cases also help keep you reeds all in one place rather than rattling around inside your case.

Neck Strap - if you play for long periods of time and/or have some pain or fatigue in your right hand, a neck strap will make your life a lot easier. It takes the weight off your right hand and allows you to focus more on hand/finger position rather than holding the instrument up. This is a standard piece of equipment for most professional clarinetists.

There are two neck straps listed below because the second one (Neotech) has a hard cord that wraps around the thumb rest and can dig in to your thumb, but it has a clip that will stay attached. If you use a thumb rest pad, you won't notice the cord. The first one (BG) has a soft, flat leather piece that goes over the thumb rest and won't dig in to anything, but the strap connects to the clarinet with an open hook that could, potentially, work itself out.