If you are new to orchestra or concert band, and you need to get an instrument for your beginning band or orchestra student, we have made it very easy for you! Please note that everyone is responsible to get their own instrument for all the camps, and that your child will need that instrument at the beginning of the first day of camp. This, though, does NOT mean you need to run out and buy one. We have arranged for Tom Lee Music to be available to rent, or lease musical instruments to those that need them. Tom Lee Music rents only good quality instruments that have been checked out by a repairman before heading out the door. The Tom Lee Warranty on the instrument ensures that your child is beginning with an instrument that you know is in good working order! This can make all the difference to a beginning child who does not know how to tell if the instrument is malfunctioning.

Parents sometimes suggest that since my child is "just a beginner" that it is not necessary to get a good instrument. Well, yes, you need not spend many thousands of dollars and get a professional quality instrument. That is certainly over the top. On the other hand, you want to make sure that the student model instrument you are getting for your child is of good quality, is in good playing condition, and is covered with a good warranty. Since your child is "just a beginner," you want to make sure that the student model instrument is in proper working order, since probably neither you nor your child will be able to tell the difference if it is not working. For beginners, this can be frustrating enough to cause them to quit band, when it all came down to a small investment in a decent instrument!

Here are a few things you should NOT do when getting an instrument for your child:

1. Don't buy privately, unless you are able to play the instrument yourself, or can have someone qualified play it or check it out for you.

2. Don't buy an instrument on eBay, unless you really know what you are doing. There is no way to tell condition over the Internet!

3. Avoid buying from businesses that are not instrument specialists! What do drug stores and food retailers know about clarinets and flutes? When the instrument needs repairs, and they ALL do sooner or later, who will do the repairs?

4. Don't give your child a hand-me-down musical instrument unless you have it worked on first. Since you did not pay to purchase or lease the instrument, expect to put something into repairs on a regular basis.

5. Don't buy "only the best for my child," meaning a pro model instrument worth many thousands of dollars. Beginning students need to learn how to handle an instrument, which means that they may have accidents with them, especially in the beginning. Why give them the opportunity to have an accident with a pro instrument worth some serious money, when there are good, affordable student model instruments for lease for a reasonable monthly payment?

6. Don't make your decision solely on the least amount of money. The lowest monthly payment is not necessarily the best deal. It depends on the quality of student model instrument you are getting among many factors. The cheapest of the student model instruments can often be irrepairable when something goes wrong. In this case, you have thrown your money away, and will have to re-invest again!

Here are some rough estimates of costs of leasing/purchasing an instrument. Figure that a $200 instrument from some drug store or food retailer will last you about one year, IF you are lucky. When that instrument needs repairs, you will probably have to throw it out as the repairs will be more costly than purchasing a new one. IF it makes it to the one year point, you can figure that it will have cost you about $17 per month. If it makes it only 6 months, it will have cost you $34 per month! That is not at all a bargain!!

Many reputable instrument repairman simply refuse to work on the cheap bargain basement instruments offered by non-music retailers. These repairmen have found that the metals are often of such inferior quality that their repairs will not hold, and that they are then unable to warranty any work they do on the instruments. So once again, for even a minor repair, you can be stuck with a worthless musical instrument!

Now if you purchase or lease an instrument worth $500-600, you will pay about $20-24 per month, sometimes even less. After a few years of payments, you own the instrument as it has been fully paid off now. The quality of a better student model instrument will last your child right through to the end of secondary school, often 7+ years. An investment of say, $600 into a decent student model instrument divided by 84 months of playing (7 years) comes to a very modest $7 per month!! Cheapest is not always the best deal.

 Here are some things which you should do:

1. Get a good quality student model instrument for your beginner. Like in everything else, there is no substitute for quality.

2. Purchase from a  reputable musical instrument retailer. These are businesses dedicated to just music and instruments, and they will know the industry better than a drug store!

3. Use a reputable musical instrument repairman. Rented or leased instruments should go back to the same retailer. Ask your band or orchestra teacher for the name of a good repairman if you have not rented or leased. This will make a difference!

4. Ask for your teachers advise, and then use it! Your teacher, either here at the HSMC, or in your regular school class, will have a good idea of what to do. They have been doing this for a long time, and know the ins and outs very well.

5. When something goes wrong with your instrument, show it to your teacher first! It may not be necessary to take it in to a repair shop, and your teacher can tell you that very quickly.

We have set up two different rental issues where Tom Lee Music will come out to Maple Ridge to provide you with everything you need to get started. The first one is on June 26th, 2008, and is for students entering the Concert Band Quick Start Clinic beginning July 1st, 2008. This rental issue will be at Thomas Haney Secondary School in the music room beginning at 7:00 pm.

The second rental issue is on August 21st, 2008, and is for students entering either Concert Band Quick Start Clinic beginning on August 25th, 2008. This clinic will be held at Thomas Haney Secondary School in the music room. On this night, you can come out to rent, lease, or purchase your wind or percussion instrument for the Concert Band Quick Start classes. Please send Ed Dumas an email confirming which rental issue you will be attending and which instrument you will need to get for your child.

Parents of strings students will need to go to Tom Lee Music in Coquitlam or Abbotsford some time over the summer to rent, lease, or purchase your string instrument. By going in to the store, the Tom Lee staff will be able to help size the instrument for you to make sure that your child begins on the correct size of string instrument. Please make sure you do this before the Orchestra Quick Start Class begins on August 18th, 2008!