It is natural for directors to be concerned about the instrument shaped objects being sold by some of the local general merchandise retail stores. We all know that these instruments cause young students to have bad experiences with music and the drop out rate starts to climb. In fact, some of these instruments are so bad as to almost insure a student will not succeed. Certainly no director wants to see students discouraged or drop out of band because of a poor playing instrument. Nor does anyone want to explain to an angry parent why the $159.00 trumpet or clarinet they purchased a month ago is not suitable for use in the band program. To try and avoid getting these instruments in your program I have copied a section of a letter from an East Texas school band program that you may want to include in your letter to beginning student’s parents.

Feel free to copy all or any part of the paragraphs to use as your own.

Don't Let The Guy At Right Gobble-UP Your Begining Students

"Let me say that I know the thought of purchasing a new musical instrument can be a bit intimidating. If you will attend the meeting at (time, date, and Place), we will have an authorized music dealer who can get your child started in the school band for as little as $60.00 for the first two (2) months. This will give you a chance to see if your child really does have the ability and desire to be in music. You are not required to rent or purchase an instrument from this or any particular company. This is simply a convenience to you, to make this initial process as smooth as possible. Whether or not you plan on renting or purchasing an instrument for your child, I do ask that all of you make plans to attend this organizational meeting. There is other information I will need to make you aware of at that time.

Mr. ISO