Buying a New Band Instrument
By Dawn Allcot, N2Arts Correspondent
How to get the most for your money
 

re you ready for a better instrument? If you’ve been in band for a few years and are serious about playing through high school, college, and beyond, it’s probably time to upgrade.

Music dealers suggest that students might be ready for an intermediate instrument any time between seventh and tenth grade. If money’s tight, you could keep your plastic clarinet or brass trumpet through high school and perhaps into college. Many people do.

Ralph Weber, VP of Hume Music, a Kansas-based multi-store music dealer, says the decision to upgrade has a lot to do with gut instinct. “It’s that inner desire that says, ‘I love playing, and I really wish I had a silver trumpet or a wooden clarinet.’”

He notes that beginner instruments are designed, based on their size and shape, to allow young students to produce a sound and create a recognizable tune within the first two to three months of playing. “A lot of the enhancements [in a step-up instrument] are going to be in the tone quality, and in the way the instrument has been manufactured,” he says.

The benefits of an intermediate model instrument include a better sound and improved playability. “If you can’t feel a difference, you’re probably not ready for a step-up model,” says Shawn Evans, Hume Music store manager.

What if you’re convinced you need that shiny new trumpet, but your parents aren’t buying it? Have your music director intervene on your behalf. Between his words and your actions, it shouldn’t be hard to convince your parents that a new instrument is an investment in your future. Prove it by continuing to practice and taking private lessons.

If you’re working, offer to help pay for the instrument. Ask your parents if there are extra chores you can do to earn money toward the purchase. You may even look into tutoring beginning band students on their own instruments for cash to put toward your new model.

Make it easy for your parents to make the purchase by doing the research. Call your local music dealer and find out about financing or rent-to-buy programs. Ask how much a step-up instrument will cost if you trade-in your old one. While it may be tempting to find a lower price on the Internet, remember the personal service you’ll get at your local music store. If your instrument needs repair, you’ll know where to take it.

Most importantly, you’ll want to prove that you are responsible enough to care for a costly step-up instrument. Show your parents that you clean and store your current instrument properly. If you can afford to hold onto your beginner model, you may want to offer to use that one during outdoor marching band practices.

A good intermediate model instrument will get you through high school and perhaps into college. If you’re serious about music, you will some day want a professional, performance quality instrument. Should you skip the middle step and go straight for a handmade, top-of-the-line instrument?

Weber says that in some cases, this is the correct decision. “The true performance-quality instruments, the handmade models with all the features, are reserved for those students who want to perform at that next level,” he says. “If you want to make that step right away, and you have the means to do it, you should go ahead. It will not hinder your advancement; it will probably enhance it.”

If a pro-quality horn is your dream, it may take a bit more work convincing the ‘rents, but the pay off will be worth it. 

Dawn Allcot, journalist, editor and music education advocate, has enjoyed school music performances in venues from New York to Australia. As the former editor of Band & Orchestra Product News and a frequent contributor to School Band and Orchestra magazine, she strives to inspire young musicians and their teachers through her writing. Find out more at www.dawnallcot.com. She can be reached by email at dawnallcot@yahoo.com.