Recommend a band instrument!

[ourbabygirl]

(Poll coming)

Which did your DC pick, and which would you pick for them? Did they try something, and it didn't work out for some reason? Do certain instruments (or the people who play them) have stereotypes associated with them? The middle school teacher requires that students have a certain number of years playing piano in order to do percussion, and DD has been playing piano for a while, so that's fine.

Anything to keep in mind? The kids will be meeting with the band teacher next month to figure out which instrument would be most appropriate for them to play based on their top three choices, physical characteristics, and balanced instrumentation in the band. Baritone, French horn, and tuba are cheapest, so I'm assuming they need/ want more kids playing those. Next are flute, trombone, clarinet, trumpet, and percussion. Then saxophone and oboe. As of now, DD would like to try saxophone or percussion. She's tall, about 5'2", so I'm assuming she's a good size for those?

I tried clarinet for a year and was fine with it, but didn't practice enough, and switched to choir the following year, which is where my true passion is.
We don't have orchestra in our school district, and it's too small for marching band, which is kind of a bummer since I think it would be awesome if the kids could do that in college!

Anyhow, any tips are appreciated! Thanks!

[ahisma]

I wish I had encouraged something that he could transport without me. I have to drive to school every other day - no way to bike with a saxophone. It wouldn't be a big deal, I suppose, but totally makes me late to work.

[sariana]

I voted for oboe and French horn because they are less common, and she will have less competition. But if she likes saxophone, she should do that. (I don't like saxophone.)

My DD played clarinet last year and was not overly enthusiastic about doing band this year (middle school). But she switched to percussion, and she's really enjoying it.

The think about percussion is that there are about a million different parts/instruments. A good percussionist also will be in demand, but becoming a good percussionist takes a lot of work.

ETA: You don't necessarily have to do marching band in high school in order to do it in college. My college band had a completely different marching style from my high school band.

[hellokitty]

Our school doesn't have orchestra, just band, so all three of my boiys are in band. My oldest plays trombone, my other two both play trumpet. Trombones are notoriously difficult to retain in band for some reason, so I feel like our band director is more lenient with trombones, bc he really needs them.

All of my boys do not like kids in the percussion section, bc they say that they goof off and cause trouble, which gets the entire class in trouble. I have no opinion about it, except that all three of them in three different grades complain about percussion, so IDK... maybe that is a stereotype?

My oldest likes the trombone, it is the only thing that he has ever stuck to (flighty kid).

My middle one had the opportunity to switch to a different instrument, but he really loves trumpet.

I swear my youngest one picked the trumpet, bc he thinks that he can show up his older brother, lol. He has always been the most musically talented IMO of my kids, he played recorder for two years and thoroughly enjoyed it and was good at it, which I found amusing, bc typically I wince when I hear recorder.

Our school has the kids try the different mouthpieces to help them to narrow down which instrument might be a better fit for them. I think that they did this during school time for my older two, but for my youngest this was an evening meeting, so I was there and it was interesting to see how it helped kids to narrow down their instrument. Of course, my youngest one did well on all three mouthpieces, I was kind of hoping he'd pick something different than his brothers, but he chose trumpet.

[KpbS]

French horn, Clarinet, Flute, or Saxophone would be my pick. Has she listened to different recordings of the various instruments yet? I probably wouldn’t encourage percussion as I think the other choices are much more appealing. Our percussionists used to goof off too a million years ago. Maybe partly because they are in the very back of the room?? I played the trumpet because my parents found one used and it was adorable to own instead of rent.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I always thought clarinet was a good gateway because they learn how to use a reed instrument. But, I played flute from 5th-12th grade. Loved the sound it made, fun to have melodies and it was small, lightweight and easy to carry! Plus no upkeep like buying reeds.
If your kids go to your home school district (like I know I keep pushing!) is it big enough to have a marching band? Weird though that size is an issue. We go to band shows every fall and some bands have 8 kids! You just need leadership and school support- bands come in all sizes.


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[Snow mom]

At DDs school they let the kids pick any of the instruments without any regard to balancing numbers. Like 1/3 of the band is saxophones so I wouldn’t choose that It seems you can only steer kids interests so much.

Personally I don’t like reed instruments and the reeds are a recurring cost.

DD is playing the flute. Like a PP I appreciate that it fits in her backpack. She complains that the other instruments are so loud compared with flutes but as the kids get better hopefully one day the flutes will be audible. They sit in the front of the stage so at least they are visible. Flute is a popular instrument and played almost entirely by girls at the lower level.

We also considered trumpet but it wasn’t a good fit for DD. Before choosing trombone or tuba over trumpet I’d have her try them. It’s my understanding that it takes a lot more lung power to play tuba that trumpet/trombone.

I think there are both advantages and disadvantages to choosing a rarer instrument. For me it makes to most sense to start with one of the more common band instruments and then switch within that family as appropriate.

[georgiegirl]

At DDs school they let the kids pick any of the instruments without any regard to balancing numbers. Like 1/3 of the band is saxophones so I wouldn’t choose that It seems you can only steer kids interests so much.

Funny because there are hardly any saxophones in DS1’s 5th grade band. It’s mostly trumpets and flutes.

DS1 liked saxophone the best. The kids get to try three instruments. DS thought he would do clarinet (since he’s petite) but he couldn’t make a good sound on it. And he didn’t want to do one where you blow...like trumpet. He tried the saxophone and made a nice sound, so he picked it.

DD did percussion. For percussion there were tryouts, and they generally select the rule-following kids who are high achievers. She loved it and did well, but she just quit last week because the 8th/9th grade band teachers are “really weird.” It’s sad because she was “first chair” and was really got at it.


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[ellies mom]

Our district band starts in middle school. They start out with just a handful of instruments for the kids to chose from at the beginning of 6th grade and then part way through the year they expand the options and then again in 7th grade. My oldest started out with clarinet because she wanted to switch to saxophone when given the option. She ended up switching to the electric bass for her primary instrument in 7th and then did the trumpet one year and the crash cymbal the next for her marching instrument. Now as a sophomore she just plays the bass in jazz band.

The clarinet and trumpet were definitely easier to carry than her bass but I just invested in a sturdy backpack case. She has to be driven to band in the morning and then rides the bus home so it really isn’t that big of a problem. Usually with the bigger instruments, they can play the school’s during practice. I didn’t worry about how popular different instruments were, I just wanted her to pick one she would actually play.


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[m4nash]

My 8th grader plays baritone/euphonium and occasionally trombone. My 5th grader plays percussion, and my 4th grader plays oboe. They all picked what they were interested in when they started band. I personally would recommend instruments that have fewer people playing them. Around here that would be certain brass instruments (French horn, trombone, baritone, tuba) and the double reeds (oboe, bassoon). That said oboe has been a super expensive instrument, which is something to keep in mind. I do like that it is very easy for my kid to transport. My oldest and youngest started out with private lessons from the get go and have enjoyed their instruments a lot more than my middle, but maybe it would have been that way anyhow.