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