The saxophone 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 reeds that are strength 2.5 (two and a half); 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.

• Neck strap - the student wears the neckstrap like a necklace that holds the bulk of the weight of the saxophone up. A quality neck strap with good cushion is very important; without good cushioning, the neck strap will likely chafe the student's neck and be quite uncomfortable.

• Cork grease - this is what you put on the neck cork to put it the mouthpiece on more easily.

• Cleaning swab - for wiping the moisture out of the saxophone after playing. It's important that the fabric is silky and not too bulky or suede-like, so that they don't get stuck inside the instrument. I've had several students purchase cleaning kits on Amazon with swabs that were made of a suede-like material, and they get stuck 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 saxophone

• Tradition of Excellence Alto Saxophone Book 1

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

They sell "pad savers" for saxophones (fuzzy sticks that are left in the instrument 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 saxophone. 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.

what instrument should i buy?

Best Brands: Yamaha, Selmer Paris, Yanagisawa

Good Brands: Selmer, Jupiter, Cannonball, P. Mauriat, Conn, Keilwerth, Unison

Avoid these Brands: Glory, Herche, Jean Paul, Cecilio, Eastar, Eastrock, Mendini, Lazarro, Kaizer, Glarry, Ammoon, Lyxjam

Alto saxophone is one of the instruments students can start band on. There are a few different kinds of saxophones; alto sax is recommended as the one to start on because it is a manageable size for younger students. The saxophone tends to be a popular instrument with beginners, but we only need a few of them each year; saxes can be very loud and often overpower the sound of the band if there are too many.

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.

Sax Lyre and Flip Folder

Saxophone students in 7th grade and up will need to purchase a lyre and flip folder that look similar to the picture above. Tenor saxophones may need a lyre that is slightly different than alto saxes, but they use the same flip folder (see Mrs. Topp to identify which lyre you need). The links below are for Amazon, but you can find these lyres and flip folders at any music store.

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, V16, V21, ZZ, and Java. Traditional and V12 are versatile and reliable, and they run a quarter to a half strength harder than Rico, Juno, etc.

Mouthpiece - a good mouthpiece this is the easiest, fastest way to improve your sound on saxophone. A $100 sax can sound like a professional instrument with the right mouthpiece. Most saxes come with a no-name, non-engineered mouthpiece that isn't actually meant to be played on because good sax mouthpieces are not made by the same companies that make the instruments. Saxophone makers expect that people will buy their own mouthpiece to use with the instrument, so no effort is put into providing a quality mouthpiece with the instrument.

Since saxophones are a major jazz instrument, there are separate mouthpieces designed specifically for jazz performance. All of the mouthpieces listed are classical or combination mouthpieces.

The mouthpieces listed below are in order from least advanced to most advanced. The Yamaha mouthpiece is a good beginner mouthpiece. The Selmer C star is standard equipment for college-level saxophonists. The Meyer, Otto Link, and Vandoren can cross over into jazz a little bit. 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.

(Tenor and bari sax players - look for the same brands and models)

Fabric Ligature - the standard metal or plastic ligatures that come with most saxophones 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 sax players.

There are many upper level metal ligatures out there as well, but the Rovner ligature (below) is my recommendation.

Plastic Reed for Marching/Pep Band - cane reeds aren't the most helpful 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 saxophone 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.

Saxophone stand - instrument 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 below comes with a stand for clarinet or flute, but it can be unscrewed. If you want a saxophone-only stand, the "Hercules" brand stands are excellent as well (but a little pricey).