Kids in school ~musical instruments

[PaulaSue]

Any advice where to find a flute on a budget? She I get her a new one or used and a new mouth piece? What are the average prices for new and used for a 4th grader?

I hate to spend a lot of money especially when I am not sure if she will practice it (last school year she said she wanted to learn the cello but music wasn't an option in 3rd grade but for the recorder. Strings are not offered in the new school for 4th like our old school) any more than the recorder last year but she is so excited and I want to run with it.

 

[MN_Gal]

Check into "Rent to Own". Most schools have a music store that they "partner" with and you can rent the instrument with the option to buy. Works well if your child is unsure if they really want to play that instrument.

Check with you school-They usually have a parent meeting to over this option and discuss other things.

 

[klineyqueen]

I would get a 4th grade beginner a used flute. Trust me, they will not take care of it the way you want them too...they are kid! I see it first hand! If she loves it you can always get her a new one in the future. Most music stores have rent to own programs, you can often rent a used or new inst. My first flute was used and it served me well. I got a new one in 9th grade then a professional model when I was a freshman in college. I am an elementary music teacher and their band director. I will caution you against buying one at Walmart. I have had several walmart purchased inst. over the last few years, yes they are cheap...but they are JUNK!!!! The parents end up spending a lot on repairs. My dad owns an inst. repair business and everytime he sees a case with a walmart inst. he cringes!!!

BTW, if you get a used flute, you DO NOT need a new mouthpiece. You should keep the original mouthpiece with the inst. If you are concerned about germs get an alcohol swab and wipe it off. Make sure you don't get any on the pads. Also...don't wash it in water!

You can get a better quality used inst. for the price of a new cheap one!

If you have any other questions please send me a PM.

I hope I helped.

 

[klineyqueen]

Check into "Rent to Own". Most schools have a music store that they "partner" with and you can rent the instrument with the option to buy. Works well if your child is unsure if they really want to play that instrument.

Check with you school-They usually have a parent meeting to over this option and discuss other things.

So true. The school that we partner with give the parents the best deal around! Our meeting is next week. If your kids went back already the meeting is probably soon.

 

[PaulaSue]

I would get a 4th grade beginner a used flute. Trust me, they will not take care of it the way you want them too...they are kid! I see it first hand! If she loves it you can always get her a new one in the future. Most music stores have rent to own programs, you can often rent a used or new inst. My first flute was used and it served me well. I got a new one in 9th grade then a professional model when I was a freshman in college. I am an elementary music teacher and their band director. I will caution you against buying one at Walmart. I have had several walmart purchased inst. over the last few years, yes they are cheap...but they are JUNK!!!! The parents end up spending a lot on repairs. My dad owns an inst. repair business and everytime he sees a case with a walmart inst. he cringes!!!

BTW, if you get a used flute, you DO NOT need a new mouthpiece. You should keep the original mouthpiece with the inst. If you are concerned about germs get an alcohol swab and wipe it off. Make sure you don't get any on the pads. Also...don't wash it in water!

You can get a better quality used inst. for the price of a new cheap one!

If you have any other questions please send me a PM.

I hope I helped.

Thank you! I just might. N said she will be bring info home soon on it but I am a planner (I have stayed on the Dis boards and have been plalnning out next trip in 2 months since we got back from our last one 2 1/2 years ago ) and want to check into all the options. I heard about the rental places butI thought I would ask Dis friends for the best options. Too bad she doesn't want to play the trumpit (?) like Daddy.

 

[PaulaSue]

So true. The school that we partner with give the parents the best deal around! Our meeting is next week. If your kids went back already the meeting is probably soon.

Thank you, I feel so lost with her my oldest and this is the first year for my girls at the new schools.There is not even anyone at our bus stop to ask them.

 

[jlima]

Maybe try your local pawn shops for a used instrument? I always see them when I check the SuperPawn shops here in LV for jewelry and DVD deals.

 

[mjkacmom]

Our schools provide them, but I know of many parents who rent instruments for their kids who take private lessons.

 

[Inigo]

I bought my daughter's violins and clarinet new off E-bay over 7 years ago. I looked for someone with a high amount of feedback, and I don't bid on anyone who doesn't have at least a 99.8% positive rating.

According to the music dept chair, the violins are extremely high quality. The clarinet was of average quality, about the same that we would have gotten if we had gone with Paige's music (the rent-to-own the school partners with.)

She decided to concentrate on violin when she entered HS, and since she really didn't like the clarinet as much. Once she gave up the clarinet for good, I donated the clarinet to the middle school to loan if needed.

BTW, since I got such good prices, I bought two violins so she could keep one at school and one at home for practice. A clarinet is a lot easier to transport than a violin, so I decided she could easily carry it back and forth.

 

[eeyorethegreat]

I suggest you start with a rental insturment. We have bought violins from eBay and the quality is hit or miss depending on the dealer most are not high quality. I imagine the other insturment would be the same. It is wonderful that your daughter is interested in music I think it is vital for childrens overall development.

 

[aprilgail2]

You can rent them pretty cheap (100-150 for the school year). I lucked out because my god daughter is going to college for music and she still had her first student flute and she gave it to my daughter who is starting flute this year so all I had to do was take it in for a tune up. We had to get it early anyway because the incoming 4th grade studentst hat are taking music this year are supposed to all go to some type of music lessons over the summer so they have a basic idea of wha they are doing when they start school in Sept. Our town gives cheap music lessons or you could pay for them at the music stores. My god daughter was home for the summer so she gave my daughter lessons all summer long- worked great for both of us, she was flexible with the times and inexpensive and she made extra pocket money.

 

[Tigger2252]

I always rented the instruments for my girls for the first year to be sure they would stick with it. The rental was very reasonable (around $90) for the year and I wasn't stuck paying several hundred dollars for an instrument they stopped playing. If they stuck with it, then we would purchase their instrument the second year. Additionally, the instruments they lease out are all very good quality instruments.

 

[luvmy3]

Dd is in the orchestra for the first time this year. We debated on buying her an inexpensive violin but we decided to do a rental. The reason we did was because of the insurance and maintenance issue. If anything happens to the rental, even a string breaking, the repairs are covered. I think the only thing we would have to pay for is loss/theft. They come to the school once a week for regular maintenance and take those that need to be repaired. Violins also come in different sizes, so when she outgrows this own, we can just switch it for the next size up. If we purchased one, we'd still end up having to purchase another if she continued playing.
If we purchased one ourselves, we would have to pay for any repairs and maintenance ourselves. If she decides to play for a few years that could really add up.
Also, we have a rent to own contract, and our rental fees go towards the purchase of a new instrument.
Our band/orchestra meting was at the end of last school year. They handed out all the info then and we met seperately with the band and orchestra teachers. They were very helpful, and gave their opinions on what to do. I would call your school and see if yuo can arrange to talk to the band instructor and see what they recommend about the flute.

 

[mytwotinks]

I am going through this right now too. Riley had decided that she wanted to play the trumpet. I really wanted her to do clarinet. It's what I played and I just thought that she would enjoy those parts of the music more.

We went to the rental and I started to rent her the trumpet, but at the last minute I asked her to please just try the clarinet (that we had!) for a month. She agreed and yesterday came home telling me how much she loved it and she was so glad I had talked her into it.

She is using mine that I used a million years ago. If you take an instrument to the rental night they will usually tell you what repairs it needs and take them in for you. Ours checked out o.k. with some things that will need to be done soon, but when we went home that night and I started playing it with her one of the corks was dried and falling off. We are just going to have that replaced for now and when we are sure that she is sticking with it, I'll take it in and have it really fixed up.

The trumpet was going to be $750. With the rental agreement it ended up being about $31 a month for 36 months. It was a used trumpet too. I honestly wasn't crazy about the whole system of the rental. I sit down at a table, they bring me the instrument and tell me what to pay. No looking it over, no discusion about what I am buying, no making sure that the one I'm getting is not all scratched up. I could have done those things, but that wasn't what they were really "wanting" to happen. I am soooo glad I didn't sign up to pay that for 3 years!

 

[jewelshouse]

I don't know about other schools policies, but we had our band parent meeting last week. They told us if we purchased or rented anything that was not on the approved list they had to check it out personally. I was never in band so this experience is new to me. The band said something about white stuff infecting all the other instruments.

 

[mytwotinks]

I don't know about other schools policies, but we had our band parent meeting last week. They told us if we purchased or rented anything that was not on the approved list they had to check it out personally. I was never in band so this experience is new to me. The band said something about white stuff infecting all the other instruments.

I am not sure what white stuff they are talking about. That sounds a little weird!

Our band director kind of said the same thing. I think it is just to make sure that the kids all have a working instrument. There are some really cheap instruments out there with such poor quality that they would be practically impossible to play. The cheap instruments are very easily damaged too. An instrument that has been stored for a long time may not work if the pads are dried out. For instance the clarinet has to be air tight.

 

[mdrob214]

We had a list of suggested brands of instruments, too. I thought that was more about quality, though. I am now a renter of a trumpet and we are renting a used one. ($550) I pay $29--some of that for insurance--a month for 25 months and it will be mine so would pay $675 or something when it's all done. OR when I decide to purchase outrright I will get 20% off that price. It really isn't a bad deal and it seems to be a quality horn. My DD plays the clarinet and I did the same thing for her at first. Worked great. What stinks was neithe one wanted to play the flute or the trombone that we already own from our band days MANY years ago . Figures.

 

[mytwotinks]

We had a list of suggested brands of instruments, too. I thought that was more about quality, though. I am now a renter of a trumpet and we are renting a used one. ($550) I pay $29--some of that for insurance--a month for 25 months and it will be mine so would pay $675 or something when it's all done. OR when I decide to purchase outrright I will get 20% off that price. It really isn't a bad deal and it seems to be a quality horn. My DD plays the clarinet and I did the same thing for her at first. Worked great. What stinks was neithe one wanted to play the flute or the trombone that we already own from our band days MANY years ago . Figures.

I talked Riley into trying clarinet and one of the only reasons she was willing to do it was because the clarinet I had used had my KU 1987 band camp sticker on it! She thought it was really cool and retro, so I asked her to try it for a month and if she still wanted to do trumpet she could switch.

She ended up loving the clarinet and she said all the kids thought her band camp sticker was super cool!

 

[bucket o' butter]

I always rented the instruments for my girls for the first year to be sure they would stick with it. The rental was very reasonable (around $90) for the year and I wasn't stuck paying several hundred dollars for an instrument they stopped playing. If they stuck with it, then we would purchase their instrument the second year. Additionally, the instruments they lease out are all very good quality instruments.

I am in the same boat with my dd. This is her second year in middle school band. Last year, she borrowed a friend's old clarinet. It works okay, but I would like to upgrade. I am not ready to spend $1000 on a new one yet. I looked into renting one, but the music store our school partner's with is still very expensive. (Paige's Music) For the year, a used clarinet would be around $350. A new one is almost $500. I can see spending that much if she makes it to high school band, but not now. Several people said that they got rentals between $90 and $150 for the year. I wish I was that lucky. I try to look on Ebay, but I do not have a music background and don't want to end up with junk. Anyone know of a brand I should be looking for. I am willing to spend a couple of hundred dollars, maybe a little more. I know I am probably dreaming, but it is worth a shot!

 

[jlima]

I am in the same boat with my dd. This is her second year in middle school band. Last year, she borrowed a friend's old clarinet. It works okay, but I would like to upgrade. I am not ready to spend $1000 on a new one yet. I looked into renting one, but the music store our school partner's with is still very expensive. (Paige's Music) For the year, a used clarinet would be around $350. A new one is almost $500. I can see spending that much if she makes it to high school band, but not now. Several people said that they got rentals between $90 and $150 for the year. I wish I was that lucky. I try to look on Ebay, but I do not have a music background and don't want to end up with junk. Anyone know of a brand I should be looking for. I am willing to spend a couple of hundred dollars, maybe a little more. I know I am probably dreaming, but it is worth a shot!

My first clarinet was LeBlanc. Other brands are Bundy and Yamaha. Selmer and Buffet are higher-end instruments. My dad got me a Buffet when I was a senior in high school. Made a HUGE difference in the tone I could produce. Go to a local music store; they should have what you are looking for. Good luck!