If your child is enrolled in band and wants to play flute, clarinet, trumpet, or trombone, you can go ahead and get them an instrument for the school year. If your child is enrolled in orchestra and wants to play violin, viola, or cello, you can go ahead and get them an instrument for the school year. Some helpful information is provided below.

If you child wants to play baritone (euphonium) or string bass, we would love for you to get them an instrument for home practice, but we understand that may not be possible. Please contact the school and let Mr. Walter know that your child wants to play one of these very large instruments. 

Information about getting an Instrument: 

Students are required to provide their own instruments. The only exceptions are baritones/euphoniums, tubas, and string basses. These the school has for at-school use, but students are encouraged to investigate securing practice instruments.

Instruments may be rented or purchased from whichever vendors students' families prefer. A popular option for many families is to secure an instrument through a "rent-to-own" program that provides maintenance and replacement coverage for the instrument and that allows the student to switch instruments at any point during the year. This is especially useful for string instruments that come in smaller sizes for beginners and are replaced with larger sizes as the child grows. There are many local dealers that provide this "rent to own" option.

If you decide to purchase an instrument, please make sure the instrument can be repaired in a timely manner should something go wrong. No one wants a child to fall behind in band or orchestra due to equipment issues. A good idea would be to go to one of the local repair shops and ask them if they'd be willing to work on the instrument you are considering purchasing.

There are many brands of instruments to choose from. What follows is a partial list of "major brands" that have worked well for NWMS students in the past.

Flutes: Yamaha, Jupiter, Gemeinhardt, Armstrong, Emerson
Clarinets: Yamaha, Buffet, Selmer, LeBlanc, Vito
Trumpets: Yamaha, Selmer, Bach, Jupiter
Trombones: Yamaha, Selmer, King, Bach, Conn
Stringed Instruments: Yamaha, Scherl & Roth, Glaesel, William Lewis & Son, Sam Shen