Remind.com- Keep Your People Informed!

With so many forms of readily available, inexpensive (or free) communications methods available, why does it seem like our ensemble members are less informed than ever?  Maybe it has to do with the constant state of distraction that so many of us seem to constantly be in.  Or the nagging sense that we should always be doing more with less time... at any rate, I have been searching for some way to reach all my students and parents no matter what.  I have tried email, which works for some people- but some do not check their email very often, especially if they do not use it for work.  Students in particular, often have email addresses they use for creating online accounts, but they either never check it or they created the email and promptly forgot the password and never use it.  In some cases it isn't even a real email address!

Social media can be a good tool as well, but again you face the same hurdles, as well as some additional ones.  Not everyone uses it, some people use different platforms, some people do not have access, and the number of different social media iterations makes it hard to know which one will reach which people, and time consuming to create and maintain accounts on all of them.

For many years I manually created email lists, and did my own distribution list.  But I knew I was only reaching a small portion of my people, as many did not have email, or never read it.  Pretty much everyone has a cell phone, but some do not have "smart" phones and can only get SMS text messages.  It would be possible to collect cell numbers and make a mass texting lists, but then everyone would receive all the messages and replies, and some people might not want others to see their cell number.  Plus, the inherent risks of students (and even parents) having a teacher's personal cell number.

Remind takes all of this into account and has created the perfect means for teachers, coaches or activity directors to contact all their people via cell phone.  If you want to, you can receive messages via an app, email, or through simple text messaging.  Directors can add members through inputting their phone number or email, or members can add themselves through a web link, or by texting a code to a number.  You can send images, emojii, links, etc. as well, although they do not seem to work for the plain texting recipients. Messages need to be fairly short as well, but a handy counter keeps track of how many characters you have left.

I started using Remind just a few months ago and it has been a game-changer for me!  While in the past a few students and parents have emailed questiosn to me, it has been great to know that should they have a question they can ask me from their phone, and I can respond, all without having to worry about exchanging personal cell numbers. Remind tracks all conversations for security purposes. I can have students sign up in class by texting the code to the set-up number, or I can email or post the sign-up link on my website.

I look forward to using this tool in my classroom to help with parent and student engagement!

Electric Bass in the Band Program

Electric Bass in the Band Program

When perusing the available lesson books in most major band methods, you may have noticed the availability of lesson books for Electric Bass that follow the same exercises as all the other instruments.  Position charts and all other instructional materials match up, and students can progress through the books along with all other band instruments. Using these method books, students can learn new notes at the same time as the rest of the band instruments, and the bass can "basically" be treated like any other band instrument.  In the beginning band method books, fingering charts and all other information is provided for the bass just as all other instruments.  Below is a list of series of band methods that I know offer electric bass books.  Someone took the time to write the books for these instruments, so it makes sense to use them!

1. Essential Elements
2. Standard of Excellence
3. Tradition of Excellence
4. Belwin 21st Century
5. Accent on Achievement

If I missed any, please let me know and I will add them!  Another point to mention is that like most other method books, all of these band methods are integrated into SmartMusic and the bass can be assessed like any other instrument in SmartMusic!

Why is Electric Bass not used more often?

Interestingly enough, it does not seem that the electric bass is widely used in school bands.  Perhaps directors are worried about the additional logistics of worrying about tuning, amplifiers, extension cords, cables, etc.   Perhaps they are worried about balance and blend issues of adding an amplified instrument to an acoustic ensemble.  Perhaps, they see the lack of proper parts as an impediment. Perhaps, they lack the necessary knowledge to implement the instrument into their group.  Or, perhaps directors are worried that a "cool" instrument like the electric bass would draw talented students from more "useful" traditional instruments. I take issue with this sort of thinking, as I have found bass to be a very useful addition to my band programs.  Bass players are always needed in jazz bands, and can help fill out the low end of a band that has a weak (or absent) tuba section.  Electric Bass is more and more commonly seen in the marching band "pit" or stationary percussion section for the same reason, as well as offering a tonal option for the low end that has better projection and technical facility.

Alternate parts may work for easier band pieces and allow a bass player to avoid any octave transpositions, however, more advanced players will need to learn to transpose tuba music up an octave or have their director write parts out for them. (Bearing in mind the bass sounds an octave lower than written.) In grade 0.5-1 music, the normal low brass parts (trombone, baritone, bassoon) are most likely the same or similar and are in the proper range for bass and can be played without any transposition.

The relationship between upright bass and electric bass doesn't always seem to be well understood even by music teachers.  While it is called a "bass guitar" it really does not have much relationship to a normal guitar, other than sharing the same basic shape and tuning of the lowest 4 strings.  The electric bass was invented as a way to bring the sound of the bass more to the forefront in popular music, and certainly portability music have had a bit to do with its invention.

The pitch of the four strings of the electric bass and the upright bass are identical.  Even a professor of mine in college who played string bass didn't seem to realize that and assumed the upright bass was an octave lower.  Indeed, scale length of the upright is larger (especially in comparison to "short scale" electric basses) but the tuning of the open notes is the same.

Electric Bass to String/ Upright Bass

String Bass has been used for many years as a standard part of the concert band and wind ensemble instrumentation, despite the fact that relatively few pieces include string bass parts.  I have found electric bass to work well as a transitional instrument to string bass.  There are obvious differences in shape and size, as well as the separate but considerable issues of bow technique.  But nonetheless, electric bass can be a useful tool for moving younger students towards playing the string bass.

One trick I have used successfully is to mark the neck of the upright bass in half-steps as if it had frets.  Students will have to adjust fingerings to play on the lines rather than in between the frets as on electric bass, but it can work with skillful listening and practice.  I generally start to transition my students to upright bass after a year of study on the electric bass.  We do not have a dedicated string program at my school, so students are not learning the upright bass along side other bowed strings as they might in other programs.  The lines can be removed once the student gets comfortable with positions.  White-out, paint markers, thin strips of electrical tape, or automotive pin-stripe tape all work well.  Use a tuner and your ear to determine where the markings should be, and remind students that ultimately their ear must determine exact positions as finger thickness and many other factors impact intonation.

Using a standard string-method bass book as a supplement is an important step as well, to ensure students know the the basic skills of  holding the instrument, posture, etc.  I generally do not emphasize much bow-work until students are comfortable playing pizzicato.  I feel it is better to wait on introducing the bow rather than have a student start using it before they are ready.  Pizzicato works perfectly fine for the majority of band music, since generally they are playing from a tuba or low brass part and not a string bass part anyway.

The upright bass is quite a bit more expensive than a bass guitar, and in some cases perhaps they will be left as the domain of the High School program.  A few years ago I was able to secure a grant for a 1/2 size upright bass for our middle school, which I have used as a transitional instrument quite successfully.

To Amp or Not to Amp

The care and feeding of your young bass players is not complete without a discussion of amplification.  Rightfully so, the thought of younger players being given 150 watts of pure amplified power and the ability to control their own volume is a frightening prospect.  Hopefully, I can help assuage your fears!  First off, there is a hybrid instrument you might not be aware of: the Acoustic Bass Guitar.  Visually, these instruments look much like a large-bodied acoustic guitar, except they use four strings tuned identically to a bass guitar. They were invented in the 1960s but did not gain popularity until the MTV unplugged era showed them being utilized by popular bands and they gained a "cool" factor.  Indeed, the ability for your bassist to play around the campfire 100% unplugged is a major factor, as well as being able to participate in post-apocalyptic jam sessions when electricity might be at a premium.  These instruments are not especially loud when played unplugged, but they do have built-in pickups that can be used to amplify their sound.  But they are loud enough to allow students to practice individually and in small groups, as well as use computerized assessment and instruction programs like SmartMusic.

If you want a softer, unplugged option for your bassists, the acoustic bass guitar is your weapon of choice.  They can be had for as little as $100.  But eventually you will want to train your bass players to "plug in."  I teach my bass players to know where their volume knobs are (electric basses and guitars can have a dizzying number of knobs, knowing which one(s) control volume is usually a matter of simple trial and error.  Likewise, knowing what the knobs on the amp do can be tricky.  Luckily, bass amps are much simpler than electric guitar amps.  Have students "zero out" the knobs before plugging in.  Volume knob (and/or Gain) all the way to the left to zero, and any equalizer (EQ) or tone knobs should be centered to zero.  Volume on the instrument also set to zero.  Slowly turn up to the desired volume.  Students should sit in front of their amp, not behind it.  They need to be able to hear their own sound.  Placing the bass amp behind the drummer can also be a big help.

I currently have six bass players in my middle school band, but only two of them are currently allowed to plug in.  I treat it as a privilege, and if they cannot control their volume, I do unplug them.  Don't be afraid to exercise a higher degree of scrutiny towards your bassists playing with the concert band, as they can easily overwhelm the band if they can't control their volume!

Short-Scale Electric Basses

Most standard electric basses have around a 34-inch scale, meaning the tuned length of the strings. Shorter scale basses are available, anywhere from 32, 30.5 and probably even smaller... these instruments can be much more useful for younger players, as they have smaller arms and hands. Popular models include the Fender Mustang or Jaguar and Washburn Corvette.  Originally these were designed to facilitate switching from Electric Guitar to Bass but they work equally well for those with less reach.  Look for a Bass with SS (Short Scale) designation or a scale length of 32 or less. 

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, please do not fear adding a bass or two to you band program.  How you do this is certainly your choice, whether you have a student learn bass on the side (mine often play percussion in parades) or use it as a stand-alone instrument.  If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me!

SmartMusic changes for 2016-17 School Year

As you probably know, I am a heavy user of SmartMusic in my band program... to the point that I often wonder how I got by without it for so long.  I am now teaching many more band students at one time than I ever have before, and arguably have less contact time with them than I have in the past, so some way to maintain some sense of where each student was on an individual basis was necessary. Right now I do not have very many students (I estimate less than ten) that have their own individual subscriptions, although a few more than that do use it at home, via a couple of student subscriptions that I bought through our school.  Part of the barrier to home use, as I see it, are students who do not have an iPad, or do not have a computer that they are allowed (or are comfortable) downloading software onto.

New Technology

Since I do make such heavy use of it, and it is a platform that I thoroughly support, I try to stay up to date with any changes and updates.  A year or so ago, they announced that a competing music performance assessment platform (Weezic) had been acquired by their parent company, MakeMusic.  One of the biggest shortcomings that I have noticed for SmartMusic is that it was dependent on a download and installation, and while many of the features seem to run in a web-enabled mode, the actual assessment features still required a download to work.  Some students complained of not having a computer at home that their parents allow them to install programs on, or that they wanted to use SmartMusic on a Chromebook, netbook or tablet.  Apparently some of Weezic's technology is being incorporated into the new version of SmartMusic, as it will now work on most web-enabled devices.  This should be a big plus in terms of accessibility (need to play on a friend's computer without needing a download?  No problem!) especially if it will work on Android tablets, since it seems that many of my students opt for Android devices since they are cheaper.

Pricing Model

The other, bigger, issue for me is the pricing setup for 2016-17.  Several of the music teacher social networks that I belong to have been vocal about the changes, so I will attempt to briefly break it down here.  I actually called SmartMusic last week about a different issue, and asked a few questions about the pricing model to make sure I understood it.  I was also told that the old ("classic") pricing model will still be available next year, a fact that I did not see advertised in any of the emails I received from MakeMusic about the changes.  The "new" SmartMusic allows multiple teacher logins (up to three) and 50 student subscriptions. An important note is that these are limited subscriptions, students can only access assigned material and not the whole library as they can now with a traditional subscription.  The new SmartMusic is available on "almost" any web-enabled device including (as they state) Chromebooks.  Not mentioned are android devices, such as tablets.  Pricing-wise, the package that allows three teacher logins and up to 50 students is available for $399, about double the old teacher package of about $140.  The 50 student logins are the limited ones (assignments only).  Additional limited student accounts are available in sets of five accounts for $40, so basically $8 each.  Not too shabby for individual access.  I believe practice rooms subscriptions are still available as well.  For smaller bands of around 50 students, thus model would probably save you some money and make home access easier.  For larger bands (like mine) full student access would run me over $1,000!  Considering so few of my students have (up until now) used it at home, I will have to think about converting to the new pricing model, or staying with the "traditional" pricing plan... although perhaps with access on any internet enabled device, more of my students would be willing to use it at home.  Clearly I have some thinking to do before next year!

Click here for some comparisons between New and Classic SmartMusic, in both features and pricing.

Essential Tech Tools for Music Teachers

Here are some tools that I use on a regular basis that I find extremely useful. 

Zamzar- This will convert just about any file to to something else.  Great for converting audio files (.wmv to .mp3) video files, etc. Use with links, even YouTube videos.

FaxZero- Very useful way to send documents like PDF's or word files without printing them out trucking all the way down to the front office to use the machine.  You can send up to three pages a day absolutely free!

Audacity - This program records multi-track audio, and is a good way to convert audio files, since it basically records the output of anything that plays through your sound card.  Completely free and open-source! Can be used to speed up and slow down audio files, change pitch (key), edit for length, mix and cross-fade audio, layer sound effects, etc.  EXTREMELY useful.

PDF Escape- Unless you have the full version of Adobe Acrobat, you cannot edit PDF files- only view them.... this website lets you edit and convert files to and from PDF files, as well as save them in other formats like .rtf or .doc.  You can remove and add pages to a PDF, add form fields, watermarks, etc. It is free and cloud-based so no software to download.

Band Karate Part 1

Band Karate

I know of some programs that have implemented a system whereby students can "pass" leveled assignments as a way of ranking students based on achievement.  Most notably, the "recorder karate" method published by the Music K-8 catalog.  When I moved to middle school band a few years ago, I immediately recognized the need for motivating all my students, no matter what their musical ability level might be.  In any given group, I may have students that just started their instruments in the same class as students that have been playing for several years and are performing at basically a high school level.  My band program currently has around 170 students and is growing.  I did not want to let my high-performing students get bored, nor did I want to let my developing students get frustrated and drop out.  Ideally, I could come up with a way to keep all of them engaged and working towards improvement.

I do not have much individual time with students, so coming up with a system that would allow students to know what level they are currently on, and what they need to pass for the next level was a pretty big priority for me.  Record-keeping would also be a challenge.

Progress Chart

My first step was coming up with a way to determine test lines from our lesson book.  Luckily, we have been using Standard of Excellence for a long time (I also used it at the school I first taught band) and I knew there was a chart in the back that has specific lines to be passed as playing tests,  I knew I couldn't possibly test the whole book, but I wanted the test lines to be more than just one song per level to make sure they were developing specific skills for each level. Here is the chart from the Standard of Excellence band book.  I can't say the SoE book is the be-all end-all for methods, but we have made an investment into the books in our district, and retooling to a new method isn't in the plans.  I find it to be no better or worse than any other band method out there.  By now, they have all pretty much copied each other's strong points and are fairly interchangeable.

It was kind of coincidental that the chart had 10 columns, or maybe the kind folks at Kjos publishing planned it that way, but it was pretty easy for me to adapt the chart as my way to show what songs needed to be passed for each level.   Column 1 for Level 1, Column 2 for Level 2, etc.

Testing

When I started this process, I took a few minutes out of the end of class for testing. Quickly I discovered a few things.  First off, at least at the beginning stages when students were passing a lot of levels, this was a very time-consuming process.  Keeping the rest of the class engaged while I was testing was also an issue.  Secondly, students would sometimes play the same line 3,4 or more times in an attempt to pass it.  I wanted to maintain very high standards as to what I considered "passing" so I was reluctant to pass students that did not seem to have mastered the line, but I also did not want to frustrate them by having them play the same line over and over for me until they passed.  SmartMusic has been a real boon for me. You can read all about SmartMusic on this page.  using it, students can practice on their own, with feedback, until they master the line and can submit it to me for grading.

More on my data gathering, reward belts, and leveling details in a later posting.

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my blog!  I realized that it would be easier to start posting some of my information on a blog rather than on a web page, especially since our school web page is difficult to edit and is changing hosting this summer.  Hopefully you find some of the information I have posted here helpful.  Have a great day!

Band Instrument Recommendations

Instrument recommendations and finding used horns on 

eBay has been a real game-changer in finding used band instruments, especially for those of us in remote areas.  I don't want to steer people away from their local music stores, as they have an important place in the local economy and are important for school music students and programs, but as consumers, we need to look at many options before parting with our hard-earned money.

Brands to Avoid: Honestly, the names on the real cheapo horns change so much a good list would be hard to compile.  I feel it is better to know the brands you should try to buy, and assume any brand not on the list (if it's a new instrument especially) is one of the "el cheapo" instruments cranked out en mass in China, Indonesia, India or wherever.  Actually, a lot of the name-brand instruments are made in these countries as well, but under much higher quality-control standards.  My best advice on any instrument purchase, in general, is to avoid the cheapest of ANYTHING you find,  assume anything you buy that is not of a major brand will not last very long and will probably need repair or replacement within a year or two.  Here is an example of a no name flute auction. While it will probably function reasonably well, the metal is weak and keys will bend easily, and the finish will probably wear very quickly.  For the same price, you could find a used flute o a major brand,  ONE THOUGHT: the Selmer Prelude brand isn't of particularly great quality.  While it does carry the Selmer brand name, it isn't (in my opinion) too much better than the cheaper brands.  

Flute	Armstrong, Artley, Emerson, Gemeinhardt, Selmer, Yamaha
Clarinet	Armstrong, Artley, Besson, Buescher, Buffet, Leblanc, Noblet, Selmer, Vito, W. Schreiber, Yamaha
Oboe	Artley, Buffet, Bulgheroni, Fox-Renard, Larilee, Loree, Patricola, Selmer, Yamaha
Bassoon	Artley, Selmer, W. Schreiber
Saxophone	Buescher, Conn, Keilwerth, King, Selmer, Yamaha, Yanigisawa
Trumpet/Cornet	Bach, Benge, Blessing, Conn, Getzen, Holton, King, Yamaha
French Horn	Bach, Benge, Conn, Getzen, Holton, King, Yamaha
Trombone	Bach, Benge, Blessing, Conn, Getzen, Holton, King, Yamaha
Baritone/Euphonium	Bach, Benge, Besson, Conn, Getzen, Holton, King, Willson, Yamaha
Tuba	Bach, Benge, Conn, Holton, King, Yamaha
Drums/Bells	Ludwig/Musser, Pearl, Yamaha

Students and parents sometimes come to me looking for upgrade instruments... often great deals can be found on eBay, although it is imperative that you approach it the right way.... brand is key, as there are literally HUNDREDS of auctions for extremely cheap brands of instruments out there and you have to sift through those before you can find the decent instruments.  Always read the description thoroughly, as sometimes instruments may be missing important pieces (like valves!), and occasionally have been recently repadded or serviced, which is obviously a very good thing, but will drive the price up considerably.  If it does not say anything about the condition of the pads on a woodwind instrument, assume that it will need at least some new pads and mentally add $100-$300 or so to the price you are willing to pay...  You might get away with less, but that way you will not be "sticker shocked" if you have to send it in.

Honestly, only the oldest or most abused of the horns I have bought needed much work to make them play well...  read the descriptions, ask the seller questions, scrutinize the photos and request more if you aren't sure.  The last thing you want to do is bid hastily.  It is pretty much a given that whatever you are looking at, you can find again if necessary, so don't feel pressured by time to get something before you are really sure about it.  Also, set your maximum price as far as the maximum that you are willing to spend and stick to it.  Bidding wars are common in the last few minutes and I have seen items go up by 50-100% percent in some of these wars... many bidders purposely wait until the end to prevent being out bid.  Bid your maximum, eBay will automatically set your bid to just enough to win.  I usually add a buck or so to my max ($301 instead of $300) just in case an earlier bidder bid the same price...  I recently started using an auction sniping service and won a flute for a student at much less than I though I was going to have to pay!  It's called EZ sniper auction sniper and its free to use for the first 3 winning auctions.  It puts your bid in at the last possible moment to avoid driving the price up, and it's also good for auctions that close at weird hours where you might not want to wait up to put a last minute bid in.

Very few parents, at least in our area, have the financial means to spend thousands on a new instrument for their students.  I am designing this list with the intention of finding students the best "bang for their buck" so to speak, and to save them from either languishing on an inferior student level horn, or needlessly spending money on an instrument that may be shiny and new, but is a very poorly made model.  Even the major music retailers now sell instruments that are these basically toy-brand horns.  They are fine for just messing around or as a novelty horn (I have a cheap pocket trumpet that was bought pretty much for that purpose) but should NOT be a student's main horn.  They will require a lot of adjusting and fiddling with keys to play properly and are not going to be an improvement, or upgrade from what you have not in most cases. They will not maintain their adjustment, lacquer will wear prematurely, etc.  Marching band is the kiss of death for even quality woodwinds.  A toy-brand woodwind subjected to the rigors of marching band will die a quick and squeaky death.  Basically, they will probably work OK for a year or so, but plan on a replacement instrument.

NOTE:  I am a brass player primarily, but I have invested a good amount of time in researching this information.  I have been purchasing instruments for students (and occasionally selling them for students as well) on eBay for several years, and I know the ins and outs of finding good deals.  I am offering this as a preventative to getting "ripped off" as well, having seen and experienced the results of well-meaning parents buying instruments for their children.  The prevalence of "El Cheapo" brands out there forces us to be pro-active in informing parents and students.  I am ALWAYS willing to look at an instrument or auction and give you my opinion as to whether or not it is a "good deal."  Just send me a link and I will let you know what I think. I am a firm believer in the advantage of buying a quality used horn over a shiny inferior horn any day!

I am sure that many teachers would take issue with some of my suggestions.  The musical world is extremely subjective, and most music teachers are used to being the masters of their realms and therefore used to their opinions being equivalent to the voice of god!  I do not doubt that there are plenty of "better" instruments that could be recommended, but often teachers' recommendations are not made with consideration of a family's financial realities, or of the student's future plans in music.  As often as I have seen student of mediocre ability and practice habits with high quality instruments, I have seen students of admirable ability with low quality instruments.  Just putting a better instrument in a student's hands will NOT make them a better player, but it may inspire a less dedicated student to practice and play more.  I hope to equip students with better instruments with a realistic financial investment, with the understanding that should their plans include further study of music at the college level, they can eventually move up again.  If the family has the financial means to purchase new top-line instruments, then this is probably not the best list for them to peruse.

GENERAL EBAY TIPS:  search for common misspellings (i.e. "saxapohone" or "trumbone") as sometimes you might stumble upon an instrument that will not get a lot of bids that way. Also look for instruments that have been listed in the wrong category.  Saxes show up in the brass/other catagory a lot, as well as those oddball horns like the concert mellophones I so dearly love (that's a whole other page for another day...) that show up there since no one knows what the heck they are.  Novice sellers make the mistake of not researching the instrument they are selling, or list it with so little info that a lot of buyers just make a pass and look for another horn.  Ask questions, and you might find a gem that will sell for less since a lot of buyers have gone elsewhere.

Flutes

One big key is to try to find one with as much solid silver on it as possible.  At the minimum look for a solid silver head, open holes and a B-foot.  This will add tremendously to the tone and resonance that the flute can produce. The low range of the B-foot is honestly not used very often... but some say the added mass does give a tonal benefit.  Other features like french pointed key arms are nice, but not nearly as important as the solid silver head, b-foot and open holes.  Beware that they do make student-level instruments with open holes, and they will even gold-plate the lip on a silver-plated flute. 

The Gemeinhardt 3shb  (the "b" stands for b-foot) has solid silver head and silver-plated body, the B-foot and open holes.  The "sh" means silver head. You can find it with a gold lip plate.  At any given time I can find 5-10 of these for sale on eBay, so it is unlikely that the price will get driven too high.  They sell for over $800 new, and prices from $300-$500 used are not uncommon.  If you are looking for the offset G or gold lip plate, expect a little more competition since they are not as common.  The newer model numbers include the O for "open" hole, which sometimes is read by sellers as a zero, so look for model 30 as well, although a recent search on eBay did not turn any up.  The Gemeinhardt 3sb is solid silver (not just the head) and can be found, but again not quite as commonly.  Strangely the price is not a whole lot more on eBay, probably since most people know of the shb and not the solid silver version.  That would be the better flute, objectively speaking, so start your search there. Armstrong's model 303B has similar features and also can be found readily online. As far as I can tell, all 303's have the solid silver head, although some may not be stamped as such. Armstrong's model 800 is the solid silver version but does not seem to be as plentiful.  If the B-foot is not a necessity, you might look for the C-foot version of either of these flutes (omit the "b" from your search.... I know that works for at least the Armstrongs...)  you might find a deal lurking since pretty much everyone looks for the B-versions.

Clarinets

The Buffet E-11 is a very good intermediate upgrade clarinet, solid grenadilla wood and shares many characteristics with the Buffet R-13, a well-considered professional clarinet.  The E-11 has silver-plated keys, which should at least cosmetically hold up better than nickel-plated keys.   This would be a good choice for a developing player, perhaps not good enough for one intending on pursuing music as a career, but considering they sell new for under $1000 not a bad compromise.  Used (depending on condition) go for around $300-$500 They seem to hold good resale value on eBay, so you could certainly re-sell yours and upgrade if necessary, or keep it as a backup instrument. That's the beauty of buying name-brand.

Saxophones

I have done a lot of reading about older saxophones on the web.  And while finding a newer, used professional or intermediate-level instrument is a possibility, you might be better off looking for a used "classic" sax such as a King Zephyr, Buescher Aristocrat, The Martin or Conn 6M and plan on putting a little money into it.  Any student that plays a newer sax that picks up an old one immediately notices the weight of the older instruments is considerably more.  This has a direct translation towards tone quality, and is due to better quality metals and alloys that were used on older instruments.  For the Zephyrs, they were recommended to me by an excellent repair tech/ woodwind player who offered it as a price-effective sax to pick up for eventual refurbishment, ie. repad, possible re-lacquer, etc.  The lacquering is really subjective, as many pros like their horns "raw" and actually prefer the sound of a raw brass horn.  It can actually detract from the resale value of a horn as there are so many inferior lacquer jobs done on instruments....  part of the re-lacquring process involves buffing the horn down to raw brass, and metal material (mass) is lost that way.  Each time it's done the horn loses more of its metal, the engravings become faded and less distinct, which is a dead giveaway.  Of the Zephyrs, the "Special" model is the most sought-after, and refurbished ones sell for over $1000.  Again, assume that these older saxes will need adjusting and pad work, especially if nothing is mentioned in the ad.  Mentally add $100-300 to the price for that purpose. Here are some great websites with information on buying vintage saxes.  You can read up a bit for yourself.... some pricing guides do not seem really accurate, especially compared to what I've seen, but it is good for a relative value comparison.  But even if you sink $300-500 into a good vintage sax and spend $500-$700 for a rebuild, you are still looking at quite a bit less than a comparable new sax of any quality. After all, you can't even touch a sax of any decent quality for under $1200 or so.

http://www.saxontheweb.net/Resources/BestVintageSax.html

http://www.saxgourmet.com/VINTAGE_SAXOPHONE_VALUE_GUIDE.htm

http://www.worldwidesax.com/index.htm (offers complete rebuilds starting at around $700)

Trumpets

Bach Strad's are the universally accepted standard... and considering they have been made for 60 years or so, the inventory is certainly there to be had.  depending on age and condition, they can be found for as little as $500.  Getzen is another brand to consider, the 700S and 900's (Eterna and Doc Severinson models) seem to be good quality instruments.  This link discusses Getzen 700S in detail, they are offering it for a really great price ($800), and it could be a good option for serious high school students.  It is a model not often sold online due to the fact that it is a trumpet with professional features but a lower price point. Here is a link discussing professional trumpets in general. It is very helpful for informing stakeholders of the differences between student and professional instruments.  Also consider the King Silver Flair as a good step-up, especially vintage ones.

Trombones

In trombones you want to look for one with an f-attachment and a larger bore-size than "student" models.  The f-attachment or "trigger" does two things.  #1 it allows more technical facility in reaching 6th and 7th positions, as well as some important alternate positions for a few difficult notes, and #2 it opens up some lower notes impossible on the regular tenor trombone.  Technically, when made in larger bore sizes, these horns are tenor-bass trombones, as they can cover the range of both instruments.  Typical "symphonic" bore trombones are .547 bore, although an intermediate sized .525 bore is also available, and would be a good option for a student that is interested in an upgrade but not necessarily interested in collegiate study.  Always seek out an open wrap F-attachment rather than closed wrap F-attachment if you can, as the tone will be more open for those notes. The quality of materials and workmanship is also important.

Older Conn 88H's are very well-renowned. Look them up by serial number and avoid the ones from around the 80's on to the early 2000's when it seems quality went up considerably.  I have played newer ones at conferences in the past few years and like them a lot.  Bach Strad trombones are good instruments as well, make sure you know what bore size you are getting, though.  They are made in both .525 (medium) and .547 size bore.  I believe the smaller bore is the model 36 and the larger the 42.  Generally, it is best to get the larger bore, especially if you are going to study seriously as it will (in the long run) allow you better tone and volume.  A little-known horn that is actually a great one for the money is the Blessing B88H, which as you might guess by the name, is a copy of the Conn 88H, and a quite decent one at that.  They can be found for really good prices.  It is a .547 bore horn, and can be found in both open and closed wraps and a variety of bell materials.  Comsider an open wrap horn if you have a choice, it gives a better tone and response in the F attachments range.

Getzen makes some nice trombones as well, after all they are the parent company of Edwards trombones, the first company to offer "Boutique" quality horns that are customizable from mouthpiece to bell.  I fondly remember a visit to the Edwards factory and somewhere at home I have a customization that they made up for me based on a number of different leadpipes, bells, etc. that they offer.  Ah...  Anyway, the Getzen "custom" series are pretty much the same as the Edwards line, just cheaper.  But Getzen trombones are not nearly as popular as other brands, so if you are eBay shopping, you will not find the same selection, and therefore higher prices.

SmartMusic- Free Trial Codes

Using SMARTMUSIC at Home

One of the great features of SmartMusic is that you an seamlessly practice your assignments at home or at school.  To start using it at home, make sure you either have a computer/ PC with a microphone (most laptops have built in microphones) or an iPad.  SmartMusic does not have an iPod, iPhone or Android version at this time. Inexpensive microphones can be found in stores or online.  I have had good success with cheap PC mics from amazon.com, I get them for around $4 each.  The iPad version doesn't seem to do especially well picking up flutes or low instruments, but it does work.  I suggest using the computer version for those instruments if possible.

Do NOT download the SmartMusic Inbox app, it is only for teachers to use for grading assignments. 

Visit www.smartmusic.com and download the program, or visit the iTunes store for the iPad version. IT IS A FREE DOWNLOAD! Students are encouraged (but not required) to get a personal subscription for home us, as we only have five practice room subscriptions to use at school.  Subscriptions are only about $3 a month!  You get access to a virtually unlimited amount of sheet music (lesson books for practically any instrument, band and orchestra music, exercises, etc.)
 
In our last round of SmartMusic purchases, we paid for two student subscriptions, which I can  move around between students.  My DAMS band students will need to contact Mr. Sensor  to get the code! (I used to have it listed on my website, but some enterprising students from other schools were using my school codes!)

Without a subscription added to your account, you will get an error ("This account does not have a subscription") when trying to log on or open any assignments from home or when using a device at school that is not "pinned" with a practice room subscription!   

FREE Trial Codes

Two lesson book series that I know of (Essential Elements and Sound Innovations) have free trial codes that let you use SmartMusic at home. Log in with the instructions below and enter either "EEband" or "SIband" as your code.  I have not tried these codes in a while, but last I checked the SIband code only worked for lines from the Sound Innovations book. I would assume the EEband code would work only for that book as well.

Adding a Code

Go to www.smartmusic.com/redeem and log in, add the code when it asks for it. USE YOUR SMARTMUSIC ACCOUNT, do not create a new account if you have been using SmartMusic in school already, you want to use the same account for home and school.

Enrolling in a Class

You need to enroll in your teacher's class in order to play assignments and have them graded.  You can enroll in a class from the computer version, for the iPad version you will have to go on the web and enroll.

1. log into SmartMusic program or http://gradebook.smartmusic.com (hopefully you remember your account info!) YOU CANNOT PLAY ANY MUSIC OR ASSIGNMENTS HERE.
2. Make sure you have the proper school selected (it's based on the zip code, so hopefully that has been entered correctly when your account was created!)
3. look for the orange "enroll in classes" button...  it should be in the lower right
4. enroll in the appropriate classes and look for assignments... 

TUTORIAL VIDEOS AND TIPS FOR GETTING STARTED:STUDENT/ PARENT HELP VIDEOS:
IMPLEMENT SMARTMUSIC IN YOUR CLASSROOM (excellent page with step-by-step tips)
TEACHER TRAINING VIDEOSSHORT TUTORIAL VIDEOS
STUDENT/ PARENT HELP VIDEOS:

ENROLL IN A CLASS COMPLETING ASSIGNMENTS