Music Supplies
Students need some basic supplies to keep their instruments working and allow them to play. Please check the supply list for your instrument below. Individual schools may request some additional supplies or prefer particular brands of reeds, strings or oils, but this list is a good starting point.
ALL MUSICIANS:
STRINGS:
- Metronome
- Tuner
- Music Stand for home practice - folding "wire" stand is fine
STRINGS:
- KUN brand shoulder rest - get the regular model & correct size (1/2 size violins need a 1/2-3/4 KUN, 3/4-full size violins need a full size)
- Comfortable chin rest - "Teka" brand is a good choice
- Soft cleaning cloth
- Rosin
- Tuner - a pitch source for use at home
- Extra set of strings
- Fine tuners on each string
- Cello & Bass: a secure end-pin stopper
- Soft cleaning cloth
- Cleaning rod
- At least 4 good reeds to rotate in class - Vandoren, Mitchell Lurie, LaVoz or Rico Royal. Start with a few #2.5 reeds and move to #3 reeds as you get strong enough. Reeds are less expensive by the box, so when you are ready for #3's consider buying a box.
- Reed Case - a ReedGard or another reed case that keeps reeds flat and allows them to dry between uses.
- Mouthpiece cap
- Swab
- Mouthpiece brush
- Mouthpiece cushion and thumb rest cushion - these are optional but useful
- Saxophones need a neck plug
- HIgh Quality Valve Oil - synthetic preferred. Alysin is a good brand
- French Horns ALSO need rotary valve oil - again synthetic is preferred
- Trombones need SLIDE CREAM and a small spray bottle filled with water or SuperSlick - these work much better than slide OIL
- Tuning slide grease
- Mouthpiece brush
- Cleaning snake
- Bell Kit and Practice Pad for home practice
- Ann Arbor "official" set of sticks and mallets in a durable zippered stick bag including
- Snare Drum Sticks - Vic Firth SD1
- Hard Bell Mallets - Mike Balter MB91R or Vic Firth M-133
- Medium Xylophone Mallets - Mike Balter MB13R or Vic Firth M-132
- Timpani Mallets - Vic Firth T-1 General
- Chromatic Pitch Pipe (pocket sized)