Buying Quality Band and Orchestra Instruments Without Getting Ripped Off

The start of the new school year is around the corner, and for many parents, that means the start of first-time band and orchestra lessons for their child. The mental, emotional, and artistic benefits of music education are nearly limitless, so it's not surprising that even though arts funding in schools continues to be the stuff that's most often axed, parents are still sending their kids to beginner instrument lessons unabated.

But with the reduction of funds for music programs, more and more families are finding that the burden of instrument costs must now fall to them, as well as the responsibility for shopping for the instruments themselves. For many people, this is utterly unfamiliar territory, and the result is that many parents end up putting down a lot of money for an instrument that turns out to be inferior or damaged and thus.

As the daughter of a music educator, and also as someone who has previously worked in band and orchestra instrument retail and repair, I've lost count of the number of times I've seen enormous mistakes be made in this arena as musically inexperienced parents buy from disreputable or uninformed dealers. When this happens, it's terrible for everyone involved: terrible for the parents who've essentially thrown their money away, terrible for the students who are trying to succeed with an unplayable instrument, and terrible for the instructors who have to try to teach effectively without the proper tools. For this reason, I decided to write a quick "how to" guide for band and orchestra parents who are buying for the first time, but for whom the world of musical instrument shopping is completely foreign. There's a lot to know, but even knowing the basics will save you time, money, and a great deal of aggravation.

The first rule of instrument shopping that I feel needs to be impressed on people is this: appearances aren't everything. In fact, they're practically nothing. Just because a new instrument is shiny and brand new, that doesn't mean that something old and worn-looking won't be a million times better or worth thousands of dollars more. There are some truly shoddy instrument makers out there who can build shiny, pretty, junk, and likewise, some of the best and most coveted antique instruments will be worn and cosmetically challenged. In fact, in some cases (namely string instruments) the older an instrument gets, the better it can sound because the aging of the wood improves the acoustics.

Once you understand about appearances, you're ready to start thinking critically about what you're looking at, and you can start considering where you're going to buy your instrument.

Usually, your best bet is to buy an instrument from a respectable music store. How do you know if they're respectable? Usually, if your child's band or orchestra director recommends a particular store, that's a safe bet. However, to be even more sure, look for certain instrument brand names. Some of the names you want to see are Conn, Selmer, King, Yamaha, Knilling, Bach, Eastman, Jupiter, Gemeinhardt, Getzen, or Holton. Unless the store is enormous, it won't be a certified seller of all these manufacturers, but they should be certified to sell new with at least a few of them. If not, there's probably a good reason (instrument companies won't allow stores they consider disreputable to keep their licenses to deal).

Also, see if the store has a rent-to-own program. This is a good way to insure that if you don't like what you've gotten, you can return it (undamaged) and have lost very little.

Never, ever, ever buy your child a brand-new instrument from Wal-Mart. Yes, it's cheap, but so is a cardboard cut-out of a trumpet, and your child will have about as much success with one of those. Trust me.

Now, if you don't have a good music store to go to, if you'd like to try to be a little more daring in order to secure a good bargain, this is where some extra knowledge is required. Shopping for instruments in places like pawn shops, or buying directly from other owners locally, through ads, or on-line, can be a great way to score an extraordinary deal, but it can also be a good way to get hugely ripped off. This is because pawn shop owners and average people often either don't know the value of the instruments they're selling, or are counting on the fact that you won't know its value.

If you want to go this route, I would recommend that you not proceed unless you can consult the advice of a friend who plays the instrument in question and is willing to advise you on purchasing. This is because every instrument has its own idiosyncracies, its own common problems. For example, many used trombones will have copper corrosion on the inner slides, making them unplayable, whereas many woodwind instruments may need to have their key pads replaced, a procedure which is extremely expensive and may cost as much as the instrument itself!

Whatever route you go, don't be afraid to ask your child's band or orchestra director for advice. Trust me, he or she would rather answer a few quick questions now than have to deal with a bad instrument in your child's hands later.