Listen to the recordings for each instrument below. Anyone can play any instrument!
Think about the *sound* that you enjoy the most. The sound is the most important part of each instrument and you want to choose an instrument with a sound you like!
Sign up for band!
Encourage your student to listen to the instruments and make a decision about what they like as an individual. We all want to play the same instrument as our best friends, but students are more successful when they truly like their instrument. We will all be in band together!
Consider your child's size and transportation to and from school. Students will need to take their instruments to and from school twice a week to practice.
Still not sure what instrument to choose? Reach out to us at Slavensbandprogram@gmail.com for more guidance.
The flute is a woodwind instrument. (While today it’s silver-plated, the earliest flutes were made of wood.) Each note has a different fingering, and the sound is made by the player blowing over the hole in the headjoint. The flute can play some of the highest notes in the band and often gets to play the melody and some of the “flashy” parts in the music.
The oboe is a double reed instrument. It makes sound when the player blows air through two wooden reeds producing a distinct and bright sound. Oboes can be found in orchestras, concert bands, and small ensembles.
The clarinet can play notes that are are high and notes that are much lower. Sound comes from a vibrating the reed attached to the mouthpiece. Reeds wear out and are replaced regularly. Because it can play high and low notes, the clarinet can do many jobs in band and can be teamed up with a variety of instruments.
The saxophone uses a reed like the clarinet, but is made of brass like trumpets and trombones. That makes it louder than the other woodwinds, but it still uses a different fingering for each note. Saxophones are used in band and especially in jazz groups, but they aren’t found in orchestras very often. In band they play background parts a lot, but they are usually featured in jazz ensembles.
The trumpet is a brass instrument and uses its three valves to open different tubing for its notes. Players have to “buzz” their lips to make a sound, and make their lips tighter or looser for high and low notes. That’s why the same fingering can make several notes: the player is changing air speed and muscle tension too. Trumpets play a lot of melody parts, and often get to play the loudest parts of a song.
The horn is a member of the brass family and the player makes sound by buzzing their lips and changing the length of the tubing by opening and closing its 3 (or 4) valves. The horn has the largest range of the wind instruments and plays both melody and background parts in the band.
The baritone is a lot like the trumpet, but it plays much lower notes. The trombone also plays lower notes, but instead of valves, it uses a slide to change the length of its tubing for different notes. Trombones get to play all the low, loud parts in band, orchestra, and jazz ensemble.
Percussion includes all kinds of drums (like snare drum), mallet instruments (xylophone, vibraphone, marimba, bells), and auxiliary percussion (triangle, tambourine, etc.) Most of the instruments are struck with drumsticks, mallets or beaters. Students who choose to participate in percussion will learn to play ALL of the percussion instruments, not just hitting a drum. Please note, drum set is not a part of the 4th or 5th grade band. Students in our program will primarily play snare drum, bass drum, and bells.