In most cases, our students now are responsible for the care and feeding of perhaps the most valuable possession of their young lives. Taking good care of your instrument and it will last for years. The required supplies are available from most music stores or our supply letter.

Woodwinds

All woodwind players need to swab their instruments of moisture after playing. Flutes should have a tuning rod in their cases, and need to add a small cloth for swabbing after playing. Flutes can be polished by adding a silver polishing cloth to the case. Never submerge the flute in water or use a polishing compound on the instrument.

Clarinets and saxophones should also swab their instruments after playing. Silk swabs, as opposed to the ones provided in the horns, can be hand-washed and used for years. Again, never submerge the body of the instrument in water. Saxophones can be polished with a soft cloth or lacquer polishing cloth. Mouthpieces should be washed frequently in hot, soapy water.

Over time, failing to swab the woodwind instruments will result in pre-maturely needing to replace the pads of the instruments. The cost of re-padding runs anywhere from $175 for the flutes to $350 for saxophones.

Brass

All brass players should have valve oil (trumpets, french horns, baritones) or slide lubricant (trombones), tuning slide grease, a mouthpiece brush and a cleaning snake. A lacquer polishing cloth is optional. Trombone players need to lubricate their slides, and trumpet, french horn, and baritone players should oil their valves each and every time the instrument is used. Tuning slides should be greased as needed to keep the slides moving freely.

The inner tubing of brass instruments remain moist and warm, meaning that occasionally the instrument will need to be thoroughly cleaned out. Print the following forms for detailed instructions on bathing our brass instruments:

• Trumpet Cleaning Instructions
• Trombone Cleaning Instructions