Instrument Information

Reeds

All woodwinds should have a minimum of three reeds in rotation at all times meaning they are broken in and playable. Students should have extra reeds in case of emergencies, so total they should have a total of four to five reeds in their case at all times.

Mouthpieces

A mouthpiece can significantly impact the way you play. Investing a small amount of money into a good mouthpiece and putting it on an ok instrument will do you much more than investing a lot of money into a great instrument and using an okay mouthpiece.

Mutes

As you progress through high school and college, brass players will see more and more pieces calling for different mutes. There is no need to buy every single mute out there. It is best to purchase the mutes as they come up, and that will spread out the cost. Trumpet players will have the most mutes of all the brass players. Always invest in a quality mute. We DO NOT recommend AT ALL purchasing the Humes and Berg cardboard mutes. They have poor sound quality and will deteriorate quickly forcing you to make another mute purchase.

Mouthpieces

A mouthpiece can significantly impact the way you play. Investing a small amount of money into a good mouthpiece and putting it on an ok instrument will do you much more than investing a lot of money into a great instrument and using an ok mouthpiece.

Percussion Kit

• Percussion students use district percussion equipment, but they should be supplying their own sticks, mallets, and certain other pieces of equipment.
• All beginning percussion students will need to get a percussion kit. There are a wide variety of kits that contain similar items, and some kits contain more items than others. At minimum, a percussion kit should contain the following.
• Carrying case for all gear (some have backpack straps or wheels)
• Practice pad
• Bell kit
• Stand for the practice pad and/or the bell kit (some kits have a single stand for both items)
• Snare drum sticks (for practice pad)
• Plastic mallets (for bell kit)
• A percussion kit is available for rental through PM Music.
• If you want to purchase a different kind of percussion kit, please purchase from one of the following brands to ensure you get good quality equipment:
  • Yamaha
  • Vic Firth
  • Pearl
  • Ludwig
  • Innovative Percussion

Percussion Supplies