What Classroom Instruments Should I Buy First?
I’m moving to a brand new school which I’m really excited about, and I have the opportunity to open up their primary music program - I’ll be the founding music teacher. My current school as everything: all the Orff instruments, all the percussion, full sets of drums and boomwackers and everything. I’m wondering, if you're on a budget and you're starting from scratch, what do you consider those key items that you’ve got to have to get your primary music program going? What are some of the things I need to prioritize my budget for? Thanks!
The correct answer is you should buy what you’ll use the most!
Fewer but Better or More but Lower Quality?
Age old question
Both are valuable options, neither is correct
Does every student need an instrument? How am I using the instruments?
Unpitched Percussion
Rhythm sticks
Tubanos
Tunable
frame drums
Prioritize woods and skins, move to metals, shakers / scrapers
Barred Instruments
Melodic work or harmonic work?
Prioritize mid and lower pitched woods first, move to metals and higher pitches
Brands I recommend: Studio 49 and Sonar
(studio 49 series)
Five Year Plan
Start with a big dream
Of those items, what will I use every day?
Five- Year Ensemble:
Unpitched percussion: 6 tubanos, 25 frame drums, 25 sets of rhythm sticks, “color” auxiliary
Pitched percussion: 2 soprano glockenspiels, 4 soprano xylophones, 1 soprano metallophone, 4 alto xylophones, 1 alto metallophone, 2 bass xylophones
Each year is a comparable price, with the exception of year 1
Year 1
Unpitched percussion: 1 tubano, 6 frame drums, 25 sets of rhythm sticks, 1 set of finger cymbals
Pitched percussion: alto xylophone (how are you using them?)
Year 2
Unpitched percussion: 2 tubanos, 6 frame drums, auxiliary
Pitched percussion: Bass xylophone, alto xylophone
Year 3
Unpitched percussion: 3 tubanos, “color” instruments (crash cymbals, vibraslap, rainstick, cabasa)
Pitched percussion: bass xylophone, 1 soprano xylophone
Year 4
Unpitched percussion: frame drums, fun stuff!
Pitched percussion: 2 soprano glockenspiels, 1 soprano metallophone, 3 soprano xylophones
Year 5
Unpitched percussion: fun stuff!
Pitched percussion: 2 alto xylophones, 1 alto metallophone
Five Year Flexibility
Adjustable, but priority order stays the same
Five year ensemble will be different from the ten year ensemble
Where to Buy
Woodwind Brasswind Open Box
Judy Pine West Music
Make Noise
Create a five year plan and share it with your administration
It’s not for “you” or “your program” - it’s for students and by extension, the school and community
When you do an unboxing, film it or write about it - depending on the privacy contracts parents sign at the beginning of the year - and send it to your principal, school board, PTA, or whoever has the power to support the music program.
Use common vocabulary to explain the benefits (innovation, authentic assessment, cooperative learning, etc.)
Tell students how much the instrument cost, and that you’re trying to get more.
At the end of the day, slow and steady wins the race. It is not likely that we will have a whole set of instruments dropped in our laps the first year we build from scratch. That’s fine.
We’re going to be measured and strategic, and make well-informed and musical decisions about budget and quality.
Any instrumental experience is better than no instrumental experience. Any musical experience with you as the teacher is better than no musical experience.
What you are doing every day in the classroom is valuable. We are going to move toward quality musical instruction that we build over time, little by little.
