Choosing an instrument is a big decision. Students will be selecting an instrument they will play for a lifetime (or at least the next 3-7 years). Ultimately, what instrument are you passionate about dedicating yourself to, and also has the sound you love?

To get started, explore your options below. To receive more information on the instrument selection process, sign up to attend the Instrument Exploration & Parent Information Night. Please do not purchase or rent and instrument before attending an Instrument Exploration Night.

Instrument Families

• Brass: instruments that use your lips as the vibrating membrane to produce the sound. They can have a slide or up to four valves to play different notes. Brass instruments available include: trumpet, french horn, trombone, euphonium, and tuba.
• Percussion: instruments that can be struck, shaken, or scraped. It is the largest instrument family with hundreds of instruments. Students choosing this instrument family will learn to play ALL of the following percussion instruments their 6th grade year: bells (mallets), snare, bass drum, auxiliary instruments (triangle, tambourine, cymbals, etc.), and timpani.
• Strings: instruments have strings that are bowed or plucked. While the other instruments are in the band class, these are exclusively orchestra class instruments. String instruments available include: violin, viola, cello, and bass.
• Woodwinds: instruments with several keys that usually have a piece of wood as the vibrating membrane that makes the sound. Woodwind instruments available include flute, clarinet, saxophone, oboe, and bassoon.

Band vs. Orchestra

Band and string orchestra are two very different classes within the instrumental music curriculum. Deciding which one has the elements of music you are looking for can help guide in making your final instrument decision. One is not necessarily "better" than the other. It comes down to personal preference in regard to music and sound.

The Parts They Play

• Melody Instruments play the part people recognize and can usually sing. This includes flute, clarinet, oboe, violin, trumpet, alto sax, and cello.
• Harmony Instruments support the melody to add color and interest to the music. This includes french horn, alto sax, tenor sax, viola, trombone, euphonium, and cello.
• Foundation Instruments are meant to support the piece with long, strong, low notes. This includes trombone, tuba, cello, bass, euphonium, and bassoon.
• Percussion Instruments can play several roles. From rhythmic foundation, to climactic punctuation, to the melodic lines played on the bells, xylophone, and other mallet instruments. They might play in every measure or maybe one, very important, note the entire song. Percussionists need to be meticulous and patient.

Physical Considerations

Every person is built different. That's what makes us unique. Different body types lend themselves to different instruments. This is similar to athletes being built differently for different sports. Basketball players have a very different body type than horse jockeys. Lucky for us, there are almost 20 different instruments to choose from in band and orchestra. If you aren't quite fit for one there are always several others to choose from.

• String Instrument Sizes: For many instruments, what you see is what you get. It's one-size-fits-all. However, in the orchestra world this is not the case. Smaller students can begin on smaller instruments and trade up as they get larger. Many 6th graders begin on 3/4 sized cellos or violins for example. Most instrument rental stores will allow you to put equity into a larger instrument when students have grown enough to properly hold a larger instrument. Students should never play on an instrument that is too large for them as it will be uncomfortable to play and may cause injury.
• Thin Lips vs. Full: When looking at brass instruments, lip width can make an impact on initial success on an instrument. Students with thin lips will typically have more success on horn and trumpet because of the size of the mouthpiece. Fuller lips might have more success on low brass.
• Over/Under Bite: Several instruments such as trumpet and flute require the lips to be parallel to each other to form a proper embouchure (mouth shape). Students with a significant over or under bite may not have initial success on these instruments but would be very successful on others such as strings or percussion.
• Size of Hands: Students with very small finger tips might find instruments in which holes need to be covered difficult. These instruments would include clarinet, oboe, and bassoon. This is not an issue for strings since smaller instruments built for smaller hands are readily available.
• Length of Arms: This is only an issue for students interested in trombone. Students with small arms may not be able to reach the furthest playing positions on this instrument. This can be remedied by buying or renting a trombone with an "f attachment" which has a trigger to prevent the need for going out to the longer positions. Euphonium would also be an alternative as it is in the same register as the trombone.

Financial Considerations

Band and orchestra require a financial commitment from the family as well as a personal commitment from the student. Some instruments require more materials and maintenance than others.

• Reed Instruments: Woodwinds instruments require the use of quality reeds to make a sound and be successful. The quality of these reeds directly reflect the ease of play for the the student and how well they play. Bad reeds lead to poor sound quality and difficulty on the instrument defeating the purpose of playing in the first place. Reeds vary in price depending on the instrument. Speak with your music instructor about quality brands and strengths they would recommend.
• Percussion Mallets: Students that select percussion as their instrument are actually selecting the entire family of instruments at the same time. Students will begin with two types of mallets (bells and snare drum) in 6th grade and build their collection over the course of three years as they expand on the instruments they are trained to play. Quality mallets can last a lifetime and will sound better on the instrument.
• School-Owned Instruments: Many of the larger instruments, such as tuba and double bass, can be expensive to buy or rent. For this reason, the middle schools offer school-owned instruments for rent at a considerable discount. If your student chooses bassoon, french horn, euphonium, tuba, cello, or bass contact your music teacher to see if one of these instruments is available from the school before renting one from a local music store or turning down the instrument choice completely. The schools also have small numbers of other instruments available to rent, but supply is limited.

Unique Instrument Requirements

• Large Instrument Transportation: Instruments like tuba, cello, and bass cannot be transported on the bus. Students selecting these instruments must be able to practice before or after school or arrange for someone to pick up the instrument from school for home practice on a regular basis (at least once a week).
• Oboe Private Lessons: The oboe is a finicky instrument and requires one-on-one instruction to be successful. Students playing oboe are required to take private lessons from a professional oboist once a week throughout the year. This person will be able to help the student with reed issues and alternate fingerings not mentioned in the method book. Contact your music teacher to get the name of an instructor in your area.
• Percussion: We teach concert percussion at the middle school level. If students are looking to be the next drummer for Rush they might want to pursue private instruction for drum set their 6th grade year. Students choosing percussion will focus primarily on both bells (similar to a xylophone) and snare drum their 6th grade year which means percussionists will be working on two instruments while the rest of the band is learning one. It is recommended, but not required, that students have previous musical experience when choosing percussion to cut down on the number of new concepts they will need to acquire with in the first year.