Klarinet Archive - Posting 000367.txt from 2004/06

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Clarinet-related comments ONLY
Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 22:55:21 -0400

At 07:47 PM 6/22/2004 -0400, Patricia A. Smith wrote:

>Economics, part 3: When advising a beginner and his/her parents
>concerning the costs of playing clarinet for the entire first year, about
>how much do you think the outlay will be? I know that, in the past I've
>told some of my private students and their parents that if they already
>feel they will be keeping up on the clarinet past the first three months
>of the middle school band program, I suggest purchasing a plastic horn
>from a pawn shop, rather than renting. Now the caveat here is that I
>normally go with them, in order to play the instrument and insure it is in
>good playing order. But I find that doing that, along with purchasing a
>decent mouthpiece from the get-go, does a great deal to save costs in the
>first year.
>At the same time, I don't wish to to offend those music merchandisers on
>the list who rent out instruments. Obviously, store rental instruments
>will be in better condition, for the most part, than those from a pawn
>shop, and I would encourage those who can afford to buy/rent new to do so,
>if they can. However, I do think that knowing where there are lower-cost
>resources does help bring the possibility of playing an instrument to some
>kids who might otherwise not have that opportunity.

As a person in the business, I AGREE that a used instrument picked up in a
pawn shop, or from Uncle Larry, or wherever, IF IN GOOD REPAIR, can be a
good alternative to renting. An advantage of renting, of course, is that
maintenance is included, so there is no excuse not to KEEP the instrument
in good repair. I do not know about other stores, but ours does
exclusively rent-to-own contracts, although they can still be cancelled at
any time prior to the (usually) 36-month time period, or be paid off
early. Some stores may also have a program like our "Buy-back" option,
where you can buy the instrument outright at a discounted price, purchase a
(very reasonable) maintenance contract for it, and if, after a minimum of 8
months, the student decides to quit, you can bring the instrument back and
we will buy it back for what you paid minus what would have been rent for
the time you had it. Best of both worlds.

Disclaimer: This semi-commercial message really offers no financial
benefit to me, as I will be leaving the company at the end of the month and
moving away (for personal/family reasons). If anybody knows of a good job,
preferably in the music business, in the St. Louis, MO area, let me know!

Bill Hausmann

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is TOO LOUD!

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