Your student has decided they would like to join band or orchestra, great! Music programs are a wonderful thing to be a part of and learning a musical instrument will have a positive effect on your student for the rest of their life.
What happens after your student picks the instrument they want to play? To make a good choice, one that they will more likely stick with, they need to be informed. They need to know if they are physically suited to an instrument, they need to know if they like the instrument and what it sounds like. What if their interest in band or orchestra is short-lived? Deciding between buying a quality instrument, renting from the school, or looking on the internet for cheaper purchasing options can seem like a hard choice to make.
Our philosophy at MusiCare is that a student’s ownership/ “earner” ship of their musical instrument, being responsible for an instrument, is one of the essential and beneficial learning opportunities that band and orchestra can provide! If a student understands personally, the value of an instrument and that they have been given the information that they need to make a commitment to their choice, they are more likely to continue playing and practicing. The value of their instrument is more apparent and it can be easier to remember the value of the experience they are participating in.
Then comes the question as a parent, how much to spend on an instrument for a middle schooler? While it may appear easier to justify buying a flute off the internet for less than a hundred dollars, the playing experience will not be the same. There are “disposable” generic brands available for purchase, but if these poorly made instruments are given to a student it is very likely that they will become frustrated trying to play the unregulated and cheaply made instrument. Thus, making their music experience frustrating, which could lead to them giving up altogether.
The benefit of buying a good refurbished or new higher quality instrument is that it will work properly! The instruments wood, metal, pads or valves, and assembly are made of stronger better materials, the instrument will function better and the student will not have to struggle with an instrument that isn’t designed to help them succeed.
If you bring your student to MusiCare we will help them to go through a one on one instrument orientation. We have many good, used instruments that we have refurbished and repaired so that they will function properly and will help ensure the student’s success. We will walk them through the proper handling, and daily maintenance of their instrument so that it can function properly. We also provide our Take Care! Take Pride! system to help them further improve the ownership and responsibility opportunities they can have with their instrument experience.
We know that it can sometimes be difficult to know how to pay for a student instrument and we can help you, go to this link to look at what we have available: https://musicare.cc/wps/we-buy-sell-and-trade/
At MusiCare we offer a no-interest payment plan! It requires 20% down and then 10 equal payments over the next 10 months. If this is something you would like more information on, please come into the store in downtown Idaho Falls or give us a call at 208-524-4302.
