Student Band Instruments: Rent or Buy?


When children want to join their school’s band, parents have to make a decision whether they should buy or rent an instrument. Some important tips can simplify this often uneasy task. When deciding whether to buy or rent an instrument for a student, several factors should be considered.

-The age of the student
A young student (4-10 years of age) may not play a particular instrument for long, so the parents may want to rent the instrument. Many music stores have instruments that are used solely for that purpose. cello rental bay area, drums, guitars, etc. are usually the instruments of choice for this age group.

Students aged 11-15 who want to play in the school band and who want to play the saxophone, trumpet, trombone, clarinet, trumpet, etc. often play the instruments for a couple of years and even longer, but many parents still prefer to rent the instruments to save money. If the student has played a particular instrument for more than two years and would like to continue studying it, then parents may wish to buy an instrument that is for the advanced player.

-Purpose for the instrument
For those students who plan to continue study of the instrument beyond high school, a semi-professional or professional model would be the right choice to buy. (Music stores generally do not rent these instruments.) The students who plant to study at the college level should buy a semi-professional or professional instrument. The rental (student-model) instruments are made for beginning musicians and are not well suited for advanced players. And of course, those who wish to play in a collegiate ensemble or orchestra would need a professional instrument.

-Cost
As with all things, the cost of musical instruments has risen over the past years. For the beginning music students, parents may want to rent the instruments, especially for those students who may play for only a year or less. For the older students who demonstrated that they will stick with their instruments of choice for awhile, parents may want to purchase a higher grade instrument.

 

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