Instrument Procedures

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THE INSTRUMENTS

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Beginner Middle School students in the Period 4 Woodwinds & Mallets class can elect to play the Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, or Mallets (Bells).

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Beginner Middle School students in the Period 5 Brass & Drums class can elect to play the Trumpet, Mellophone, Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, or Drums (Snare).

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High School Beginner students in the Period 1 Woodwind & Brass class may choose Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Trumpet, Mellophone, Trombone, Euphonium, or Tuba

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High School Beginner students in the Period 5 Saxophone and Percussion class will play the Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Mallets or Drums. All percussionists in Period 5 will also learn Auxiliary percussion.

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**Remember that the instrument you get assigned is NOT permanent. You can always switch to another instrument next semester or next year. (This is why it is better to rent instead of purchase)

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THE SELECTION PROCESS

      Watch this VIDEO: Band Instrument Demonstrations

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Step 1 - During the first week, the students will watch the demonstration video above, hear them played in class, and learn about the instruments and how to produce a sound on them. After the video, demonstration, and discussion, the students will have the opportunity to try the instruments in class to see which instruments "fit" them the best. The fitting process is always conducted as sanitarily as possible. This year, Instrument Fitting is OPTIONAL. [Please email me to opt your child out of fitting]

     

Step 2 - Students and Parents will submit their Instrument Selection Forms (below) by the first Friday of school.

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Middle School

Instrument Selection Form - MS PERIOD 4 (link)

Instrument Selection Form - MS PERIOD 5 (link)

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High School

Instrument Selection Form - HS PERIOD 1 (link)

Instrument Selection Form - HS PERIOD 5 (link)

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​Step 3 - Instrument assignments will be emailed to all families on Saturday morning. At this point, families will have about a week to acquire their instrument and required accessories by August 30th which is the Monday of Week 3 when we start playing the instruments in class for grading. A couple of days without the instrument isn't too bad, but more than a week without an instrument could delay the student's progress. 

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GETTING YOUR INSTRUMENT

 

RENTING from the STORE

 

  • Rentals from most music stores are generally between $25-$45 per month depending on the instrument.

  • Stores usually rent out better quality instruments that are dependable and come with all the accessories you need.

  • Rental fees include repairs and possible instrument switches

  • Most rental fees can apply to the eventual purchase of the rented instrument.

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RENTING from the SCHOOL

 

  • Renting from the school is the second best option. 

  • The school only gets a couple of new instruments each year, so our inventory is mostly used. Any unplayable school instruments have been removed from circulation and are not rented out.

  • See SCHOOL RENTALS below

  • Students who rent from the school will receive a pdf Instrument Rental Contract that has the payment link on it. The Rental Contract must be submitted with payment before the instrument can be used by the student.

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PURCHASING from ONLINE 

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  • If renting from a store is not within your budget, then Amazon is the recommended place for online purchasing.

  • Please see my list of Approved Beginner Instruments from Amazon

  • If you would like to purchase a better quality instrument than the Amazon recommendations, please visit Woodwind & Brasswind

  • Anything from Woodwind & Brasswind is automatically approved as it is the most widely used online store by teachers

  • If you choose to purchase an instrument the only APPROVED purchase options are Woodwind & Brasswind and the Amazon list linked above. Any other instrument or site must be approved before you make the purchase.

  • Ebay and Walmart are NOT acceptable options for instruments and will not be approved

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Drummers in band must have their own beginner drumset at home. This stays at home for assignments and the school drums will be used in class.

Mallets in band need to have their own bell set at home. This stays at home for assignments and the school drums will be used in class.

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SCHOOL RENTALS

 

PARENT RESPONSIBILITY:

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It is the parent's responsibility to acquire an instrument for this class through purchase or rental so that the student has the proper learning tools to succeed in an instrumental music class where the instrument is the most important mandatory class material. Although the school does have an inventory of instruments available for rental by the students, it is a limited inventory of used instruments.

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SMALL INSTRUMENTS

Mellophone $50/semester

Trombone $50/semester

Bari Sax $50/semester (must have Alto Sax at home)

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MEDIUM INSTRUMENTS

Bassoon $75/semester

Bass Clarinet $75/semester

Tenor Saxophone $75/semester

French Horn $75/semester

Euphonium $75/semester

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LARGE INSTRUMENTS

Practice Tuba $75/semester (stays at home)

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The school does NOT rent out:

Flutes, Oboes, Clarinets, Alto Saxes, Trumpets, or Percussion instruments.

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School Rental Terms & Conditions 

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You will receive a PDF of the rental contract via email that must be printed, signed, and

handed in or scanned and emailed. School rental fees are final and non-refundable.

Fees are paid online on Wufoo. The link will be provided in the contract pdf.

If you would like to reserve a school instrument, please email me immediately.

Instruments may not be used until the contract and payment is submitted. 

If the rental fee is not paid after two weeks, the Instrument Rental Contract will be voided and the instrument will be made available for another student.

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School Rentals are more affordable since they do not include repairs. 

This means that any repair needed on the instrument while under contract is the responsibility of the family.

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Provided with rentals: Mouthpieces, ligatures, neck straps, cork grease, valve/rotor oil, polishing cloths

Not Provided with rentals: Reeds, cleaning swabs.

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Shared Instrument Policy:

The only instruments shared in band class are the Tuba and Bari Sax. 

Percussion is shared, but students are recommended not to touch the instruments, and the

percussion instruments are sprayed and wiped down each day.

Tuba students will be provided a practice tuba that stays at home and bari sax

students must have an alto sax at home for practice and video assignments. 

In accordance with the National Association for Music Education, when sharing an instrument, each student must:

1. Have their own mouthpiece, and reed and ligature, and these are to be kept

in a ziplock bag in their backpack, never left in the case. 

2. After each use, the instrument should have all water removed and be wiped down

thoroughly with a Lysol wipe. (I can do this for the student if we run out of time after class).

3. The interior of the case must be sprayed with an aerosol disinfectant (I can also do this if needed).

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As an option, students are more than welcome to wipe down

the instrument with a Lysol wipe before they use it if they prefer to.

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INSTRUMENT TREATMENT

 

I. INSTRUMENT CARE

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It is the student's responsibility to be kind to their instruments. All instruments must be treated as if they were human babies. Don't bump them or drop them! Any damage to instruments must be brought to the attention of the teacher, parents, and/or repair location immediately. 

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Students are expected to maintain their instruments regularly as specified by the director when it comes to swabbing, bathing, polishing, oiling, greasing, and tuning. Students must take care of instrument maintenance at home to avoid instructional delays in the classroom.

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II. INSTRUMENT DROP-OFF AND PICK UP

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HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS should bring their instruments to the band room at the beginning of the day when they have band class. Students are permitted to have instruments in other classes only if the other teacher permits it. If another teacher does not permit an instrument in their classroom, it is the student's responsibility to bring it to the band room at soon as possible. HS students will pick up their instruments after school before their leave for the day. Students can pick up their instruments before the last class of the day if their teacher allows so that they can go straight to the bus loop or carline at dismissal. 

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MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS will bring their instruments to the band room after the first transition bell rings to go to class in the morning. Middle School students are not to bring their instruments to the band room before the first transition bell since the band teacher will be teaching the first High School class of the day during that time. Middle School students are welcome to take their instruments to their first class and bring it to the band room at anytime throughout the day with a pass or between classes. 

Middle School students absolutely must pick up their instruments before the last class of the day and take the instruments to their last class since the High School schedule ends at 2:45pm and Mr. Saenz may not be in the band room after that time. 

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The band teacher will NOT write late students any passes due to late drop offs as a result of late arrivals. Make sure you are ON TIME for school. Instrument drop off will never be an excuse to be late to the students' first class. 

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In the even that the band teacher is late to school or absent due to unforeseen circumstances, the students must take their instruments to their other classes until an opportunity arises that they are able to drop them off to the band room.

 

Students may NEVER leave their instruments unattended at the doorway of the band classroom or music rooms where someone can damage or steal the instrument. Any student who leaves a school instrument abandoned on campus outside the band room may lose their privileges to rent school instruments in the future.

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