Instrument Information

INSTRUMENT RENTAL

It is recommended that families rent instruments from a reputable local music store to begin band. The school can provide an instrument for families in financial need. 

• Instruments that should be rented from a music store include: flute, clarinet, alto sax, trumpet, and trombone. I recommend that parents rent instruments from a local music store for the first few months because most stores have a rent-to-own plan, which allows students to try an instrument before parents invest larger amounts of money. Rental fees are based on the type and age of the instrument, but most instruments (flutes, clarinets, trumpets, trombones) cost $15-20 per month to rent, while alto saxophones run $30-50 per month.  If a student is in need of a school rental for one of these instruments, please contact Ms. Shank so she can have the correct supply on hand. melissa.shank@d11.org 

• For students wanting to play tenor or bari sax, bass clarinet, french horn, baritone, or tuba- the school will provide these instrument rentals. These larger instruments are far more expensive to rent from a music store so the school owns more of them for students to play. 

INSTRUMENT PURCHASE

While I won’t specifically recommend where you should or should not purchase a musical instrument, I will share some knowledge and expertise. There are brands of musical instruments that have been around for many years that offer high-quality, reliable instruments that are sold through school musical instrument dealers. Online and big box stores do not offer these high quality and reliable brands. Also, please consider the advantages and disadvantages of where you purchase the instrument.  If the instrument is in need of repair, can you get service and repair locally and conveniently? Again, the online and big box stores can not offer convenient repairs to their instruments. In addition, many of the non reputable brands do not have replacement parts available when a piece breaks. 

Here are some things to consider when looking at new instruments: 

• the quality of materials and workmanship is directly reflected in the price 

• not all instrument brands are easy to play and get a good sound 

• not all instruments are durable, again related to the quality of materials used in making the instrument.

• not all are easily repaired (some local instrument repair shops can’t service or guarantee their work on certain brands of instruments); often times, the money saved in the initial purchase is spent many times over with repair and shipping costs or instrument replacement costs, not to mention the time a child spends without an instrument to play and the frustration they feel by trying to play an instrument that does not play properly. 

• Often, you can find quality used brand-name instruments in pawn shops, garage sales, or online. Just like buying a used car, it is “buyer beware” and you’ll want to contact a musical instrument repair expert to ask about the brand, quality, and repair needs of the instrument before you purchase.

Reliable Brands of Instruments include:

Flutes:

Gemeinhardt

Selmer

Yamaha

Armstrong

Artley

Conn

Emerson

Clarinets:

Vito

Le Blanc

Selmer / Bundy

Trumpets & Trombones:

Bach

Blessing

Selmer

Olds

Bundy

Conn

King

Holton

Yamaha

Buffet

Artley

Yamaha

Local Music Stores

Graner Music Meeker Music

4460 Barnes Road 624 N. Tejon

(across from Doherty HS) Downtown location

Store Hours: Store Hours:

Mon-Thurs: 10 AM - 7 PM Mon-Fri: 9:30 AM - 6 PM

Fri: 10 AM - 6 PM Sat: 9:30 AM - 4 PM

Sat: 10 AM - 5 PM Sunday: Closed

Sunday: Closed