Tips:
🎶Use the following lists to make sure you have everything you need.
🎶Links are provided so that you can see what I'm talking about, but you are not required to order from those sites. You can find your supplies online or at many local music stores.
🎶If you already own your instrument and accessories, use what you have. Please don't order a new item unless you really need it.
🎶I always recommend that you rent your instrument until you know that your student will stick with it. Many students will change their minds about their instrument choice or will decide that band isn't for them. Local music stores have great rental options, often including a rent-to-own program.
Instrument: student model
Flute Silk Swab
Instrument: student model
Instrument: student model (wooden is preferred)
Mouthpiece* (Hite Premiere or Yamaha 4C preferred)
Reeds**: cane or synthetic
Cane: 1 box, size 2.5. Good brands are Royal, Rico
Synthetic: 1 reed, size 2.5. Good brands are Legere, Yamaha
*Your instrument will most likely come with a mouthpiece, which is a fine place to start. If you need to purchase a mouthpiece, or if you’re struggling to get a good sound/control on the one you have, the Hite Premiere or Yamaha 4C are both low-cost, high-quality options that will have a huge impact on your sound and ease of playing.
**There are pros and cons to either kind of reed.
- Cane reeds are less expensive, but break more easily. Synthetic reeds are more durable, but are also more expensive.
- All types of reeds wear out eventually. A cane reed might last about a month, which means a box of reeds might last about 10 months (this is a generous estimate for a beginning player because it's very easy to chip a cane reed). A single synthetic reed might last up to a year.
- Most students will move up to the next reed size within the first 6-12 months, which means that regardless of which type of reed you purchase, you should be prepared for another purchase within the year.
Instrument: Student model
Mouthpiece* (Hite Premiere or Yamaha 4C preferred)
Alto Sax Neckstrap
Reeds**: cane or synthetic
Cane: 1 box, size 2.5. Good brands are Rico, Royal
Synthetic: 1 reed, size 2.5. Good brands are Legere, Yamaha
*Your instrument will most likely come with a mouthpiece, which is a fine place to start. If you need to purchase a mouthpiece, or if you’re struggling to get a good sound/control on the one you have, the Hite Premiere or Yamaha 4C are both low-cost, high-quality options that will have a huge impact on your sound and ease of playing.
**There are pros and cons to either kind of reed.
- Cane reeds are less expensive, but break more easily. Synthetic reeds are more durable, but are also more expensive.
- All types of reeds wear out eventually. A cane reed might last about a month, which means a box of reeds might last about 10 months (this is a generous estimate for a beginning player because it's very easy to chip a cane reed). A single synthetic reed might last up to a year.
- Most students will move up to the next reed size within the first 6-12 months, which means that regardless of which type of reed you purchase, you should be prepared for another purchase within the year.
Instrument: Student model
Mouthpiece* (Hite Premiere or Yamaha 4C preferred)
Tenor Sax Neckstrap
Reeds**: cane or synthetic
Cane: 1 box, size 2.5. Good brands are Rico, Royal
Synthetic: 1 reed, size 2.5. Good brands are Legere, Yamaha
*Your instrument will most likely come with a mouthpiece, which is a fine place to start. If you need to purchase a mouthpiece, or if you’re struggling to get a good sound/control on the one you have, the Hite Premiere or Yamaha 4C are both low-cost, high-quality options that will have a huge impact on your sound and ease of playing.
**There are pros and cons to either kind of reed.
- Cane reeds are less expensive, but break more easily. Synthetic reeds are more durable, but are also more expensive.
- All types of reeds wear out eventually. A cane reed might last about a month, which means a box of reeds might last about 10 months (this is a generous estimate for a beginning player because it's very easy to chip a cane reed). A single synthetic reed might last up to a year.
- Most students will move up to the next reed size within the first 6-12 months, which means that regardless of which type of reed you purchase, you should be prepared for another purchase within the year.
Instrument: Student model (F attachment is NOT necessary)
Trombone Mouthpiece - Bach 6.5AL, small shank or equivalent (Faxx, Bach, Schilke)
Slide Care: Slide oil, slide cream, spray bottle
Percussionists play a variety of instruments from non-pitched (snare drum, bass drum) to pitched (xylophone, marimba) to auxiliary (castanets, triangle, jingle bells). The percussion section is lively and active as students switch instruments between and within selections!
I will provide as many of these instruments as possible for class time, but you will need to have the following :
Bell Kit/Combo Kit (this should include a glockenspiel, practice pad or snare, instrument stand, and case)
Snare Sticks: Vic Firth SD1 or equivalent
Mallets: your bell kit will come with a set of mallets. These are perfectly acceptable to use, but if you find they hurt your ears, I recommend a medium to medium-soft rubber mallet like this, or this, or this.