schools, band instruments (elementary school, pay, grade, costs)
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Just a thought to those with kids that are looking at playing in their school band. This may not apply in your area, but when youngest boy child decided he wanted to be in band for this coming year, we did the obligatory thing, went to the school for their "fitting", where kid sits w/ us and the child is reviewed with a band teacher or local musical instrument shop personnel... and based on the results of the kid's 'interview' and their desires, and some also of the school band's needs [don't need 20 percussion and no flutes, etc.], they then pick which instrument that they will need for the coming year. So far, so good. However, since there is this one and only music instrument business involved, I don't see much room for competition. Well, then when it comes time for us to discuss payments, options, costs, and so forth for the instrument that we will be blessed hearing as the critter practices, my radar rises. Not that they are necessarily pushing that hard, but there is pressure to get it done, decide and start payments,,, now. I said, surprisingly to the poor lady on the other side of the table, nope,,, let me/us think about it some more, and will get back to you in next week or so. Yes, sure,,, I understand, I tell her, that these are limited, and its first come first served. Long story not too much shorter - their list price, for a percussion kit, such and such model, is $450. So, me, come home, research on Amazon, etc. for the same exact model... $220. Morale of this long winded post - if you have child interested in starting in band, do your research, get something good, don't buy cheap inexpensive crud that will wear out or fall apart due to normal wear/tear, but look at prices from other sources too.
I totally agree. We've been through this twice. First we did the rent to own thing. What a rip off. You get to rent a used, cheap piece of junk and pay hundreds of dollars more for it than its worth. Then after a couple of years of playing when our kid decided he was going to stick with it we started looking at upgrading to a better instrument. Went to the music store, and about had a heart attack at the outrageous prices. Came home, got on ebay and found one for over $1,100 less. It had been used by some kid for a year and was in perfect condition.
Flip side of that is that some of the instruments sold on eBay are cheap for a reason: poorly made, cheap tinny sound, crappy knockoffs produced shoddily by Third World six-year-olds.
My son chose something other than the violins or trumpets or saxophones that are absolutely everywhere lately. We ended up asking his teacher to look for a good quality used instrument for him rather than hitting the local Mega School Music Company or eBay. End result: a good quality instrument at about a quarter of the price we'd pay new.
I totally agree. We've been through this twice. First we did the rent to own thing. What a rip off. You get to rent a used, cheap piece of junk and pay hundreds of dollars more for it than its worth. Then after a couple of years of playing when our kid decided he was going to stick with it we started looking at upgrading to a better instrument. Went to the music store, and about had a heart attack at the outrageous prices. Came home, got on ebay and found one for over $1,100 less. It had been used by some kid for a year and was in perfect condition.
Our rental program was not like that at all. The kids got brand new instruments that have carried them into high school without needed an upgrade. If they want to get into some sort of professional music career they would need to upgrade but for now, they are just fine in their band program, that is a nationally recognized band program. We could have probably found a used one fairly easily but when we factored in getting all new pads, etc. it wasn't really any less expensive.
I was concerned about buying an instrument on ebay, but I was impressed with what I got. We bought a clarinet, about $2,000 new price, for $875. It was in perfect condition. You couldn't even tell it had been out of the case. I took it to a local music shop and had it checked out, and nothing needed to be done to it. It was the exact same horn we had been looking at in the store. Just bought a new box of reeds and we were good to go.
Our other kid was in orchestra and we did the same rental thing, but wilth slightly better results. We paid way too much for it, but it was in decent, not great condition. We still had to replace it a few years later simply because he outgrew the viola we had orginally purchased. I had not done my research before we bought the first one. I didn't realize they came in sizes. He was in elementary school when he joined the orchestra. By the time he got to high school it was just too small for him, so we had to go buy a new one. We went to a local violin shop and bought one that they made there. It was very nice.
Of course, within a year or two of purchasing them new instruments, eveyone quit! Now we own two clarinets and two violas and no one even looks at them.
Flip side of that is that some of the instruments sold on eBay are cheap for a reason: poorly made, cheap tinny sound, crappy knockoffs produced shoddily by Third World six-year-olds.
My son chose something other than the violins or trumpets or saxophones that are absolutely everywhere lately. We ended up asking his teacher to look for a good quality used instrument for him rather than hitting the local Mega School Music Company or eBay. End result: a good quality instrument at about a quarter of the price we'd pay new.
You can find quality instruments on Ebay also. We have purchased all of our kids instruments (except the piano) on Ebay. We have a Yamaha student trumpet, saxophone and clarinet. All were purchased used off of Ebay for a fraction of what they cost new. The trick is knowing what the brand and model numbers of quality instruments are.
You can find quality instruments on Ebay also. We have purchased all of our kids instruments (except the piano) on Ebay. We have a Yamaha student trumpet, saxophone and clarinet. All were purchased used off of Ebay for a fraction of what they cost new. The trick is knowing what the brand and model numbers of quality instruments are.
Exactly,,, being educated, forewarned, and forearmed is key. Hate being taken advantage of [well, guess if she was really extremely cute ], but seriously as to eBay stuff - yes, there is a lot of cheaper instruments, some with very similar names to the good stuff, and that will however fall apart in your hands, and/or also be quite difficult to repair, get parts for them. Nevertheless, looking at the "purchase" price that the music store people had on their sheet, vs. what I had good feeling already for, and then confirmed later,,, big difference - in this particular case.
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Well, then when it comes time for us to discuss payments, options, costs, and so forth for the instrument that we will be blessed hearing as the critter practices, my radar rises. Not that they are necessarily pushing that hard, but there is pressure to get it done, decide and start payments,,, now. I said, surprisingly to the poor lady on the other side of the table, nope,,, let me/us think about it some more, and will get back to you in next week or so. Yes, sure,,, I understand, I tell her, that these are limited, and its first come first served. Long story not too much shorter - their list price, for a percussion kit, such and such model, is $450. 
So, me, come home, research on Amazon, etc. for the same exact model... $220. 
], but seriously as to eBay stuff - yes, there is a lot of cheaper instruments, some with very similar names to the good stuff, and that will however fall apart in your hands, and/or also be quite difficult to repair, get parts for them. Nevertheless, looking at the "purchase" price that the music store people had on their sheet, vs. what I had good feeling already for, and then confirmed later,,, big difference - in this particular case.
