Finding an Instrument
Recommended Brands
The following instruments are school owned and can be rented from the school:
Oboes
Bassoons
French Horns
Baritones
Euphoniums
Tubas
Flute, clarinet, alto and tenor saxophone, trumpet, trombone, and percussion kits are not school owned instruments in middle school. Below are the brands that local music teachers reccommend. Recently, a lot of poor quality instruments have flooded the market (usually from Amazon, Walmart, Temu; etc.) These instruments can be difficult to play, impossible to repair, and sometimes even contain harmful metals like lead.
Flutes:
- Yamaha
- Gemeinhardt
- Dean
- Jupiter
- NOT Bundy
Ideally flutes will be “open-hole” with plugs.
Clarinets:
- Yamaha
- Jupiter
- Selmer
- Buffet
- Woodwind
- Vito
- Bundy
Saxophones:
- Yamaha
- Jupiter
- Conn
- Keilwerth
- Vito
- Selmer is okay but NOT “Selmer Bundy II”
Trumpets:
- Bach
- Yamaha
- Jupiter
- Getzen
- Conn
- Holton
- Blessing
If buying new, you do NOT want to buy a cornet or a C trumpet.
Trombones:
- Bach
- Holton
- Jupiter
- Yamaha
- Conn
- Olds
Buying a trombone with an F-attachment is ideal but not required.
Percussion Kits:
- Practice Pad
- Vic Firth SD-1 General (Concert Sticks)
- Vic Firth Ralph Hardimon (Marching Sticks
- IP 275 Medium Hard Marimba Mallets (2 pairs)
- Sturdy, Durable Stick Bag
- IP SB-3
Local Music Stores We Love
These are some great stores to visit to buy/rent instruments and get repairs/cleaning!
💡 Parent Pro Tips:
- Clearly label your child’s instrument case with their name and school.
- If an instrument is not working properly, encourage your student to let their band director know first.
- Turnaround time for repairs varies—start early before concerts or performances.
- These stores offer school delivery, so you may not need to visit in person.
Music & Arts – Birmingham, AL
Address: 4685 US-Hwy 280 W, Birmingham, AL 35242
Phone: (205) 271-7827
Services:
- Beginner and step-up instrument rentals
- Affordable monthly rental plans with return and upgrade options
- Instrument repair services
- Music books and accessories
Gadsden Music Company – Birmingham, AL
Address: 4524 Southlake Pkwy, Hoover, AL 35244
Phone: (205) 982-3004
Email: info@gadsdenmusic.com
Services:
- Instrument rentals, purchases, and repairs
- School delivery and pickup options
- Expert repair technicians and custom fittings
- Supplies and band accessories
Arts Music Shop – Birmingham, AL
Address: 4647 O Hwy 280 S, Birmingham, AL 35242
Phone: (205) 995-8376
Email: info@artsmusicshop.com
Services:
- Rent-to-own and short-term rental plans
- Professional-grade repairs and maintenance
- Instrument and accessory sales
- Friendly, knowledgeable staff
Recommended Supplies
All Musicians will need:
- Metronome
- Tuner
- Music stand for at home practice
- Folding “wire” stand stand is fine
Flutes:
- Soft cleaning cloth
- Flute cleaning rod
Oboes & Bassoons:
- Silk cleaning swab
- Cork grease
- A dedicated reed case
- 2-3 medium-soft cane reeds
Clarinets & Saxophones:
- At least 4 good reeds in roatation
- Vandoren, Mitchell Lurie, LaVoz, or Rico Royal
- #2.5 reeds to start out then move to #3
- Reeds are less expensive by the box
- Reed case
- ReedGard is a good brand
- Mouthpiece cap
- Saxophones need a neck plug
Brasses:
- Tuning slide grease
- Mouthpiece brush
- Mouthpiece case or pouch
- Cleaning snake
- High quality valve oil (except trombones)
- synthetic preferred
- Blue Juice or Alysin are good brands
- French Horns ALSO need ROTARY oil
- Same brands are good
- Trombones need slide cream and a small spray bottles filled with water or SuperSlick
- This works MUCH better than slide oil
Percussion:
- Practice Pad
- Vic Firth SD-1 General (Concert Sticks), Vic Firth Ralph Hardimon (Marching Sticks)
- IP 275 Medium Hard Marimba Mallets (2 Pairs)
- Sturdy, Durable Stick Bag
- IP SB-3 is a good brand
- Tall Snare Stand for Practice Pad