There are many things that you need to have in order to play an instrument. Some instruments need more equipment than others. Here is a list of mandatory supplies for each instrument.
For the 2026-2027 school year, first year students will be using the method book:
TRADITION of Excellence, book 1 for their instrument (see below)
All students must have a sharpened pencil in their folder and/or instrument case.
You are not obligated to purchase directly from the links provided; these are intended as a starting point so that you know what to look for, but you may look for the same materials through other stores or websites.
Flute
Please note that 5th grade percussionists will be bringing their full percussion kit to school for the first few months. Around Thanksgiving, they will only be required to bring their snare pad, snare sticks, yarn mallets, and music back and forth to school. 6th-8th grade percussionists will be required to bring their snare pad, snare sticks, yarn mallets, and music back and forth to school from the beginning of the year.
Optional items for all instruments:
Metronomes are very useful for all musicians! There are many free options digitally available now.
Tuners: Good to have, but not a priority for beginners. There are now several apps on mobile devices that can be downloaded for this.
Reed Cases: These are very helpful for protecting reeds, but you can get by without one for now.
Instrument stand: If you would like one, but not mandatory. This is different from a music stand which is mandatory.
For the 2026-2027 school year, first year students will be using the method book:
TRADITION of Excellence, book 1 for their instrument (see below)
All students must have a sharpened pencil in their folder and/or instrument case.
You are not obligated to purchase directly from the links provided; these are intended as a starting point so that you know what to look for, but you may look for the same materials through other stores or websites.
Flute
- C Flute
- Method book: Tradition of Excellence, book 1 for Flute
- Cleaning rod, and a swab to clean the instrument. You can make one out of a handkerchief, for example, or old cut t-shirt.
- A wire/folding music stand for home practice
- Bb Clarinet
- A box of at least three strength #2.5 Bb clarinet reeds (for beginners). Rico/D'Addario or Vandoren are recommended.
- Method book: Tradition of Excellence, book 1 for Bb Clarinet
- A clarinet swab
- Cork grease
- A wire/folding music stand for home practice
- Eb Alto Saxophone
- A box of at least three strength #2.5 reeds for alto saxophone (for beginners). Rico/D'Addario or Vandoren are recommended.
- Method book: Tradition of Excellence, book 1 for Eb Alto Saxophone
- A good neck strap with padding (most saxophones that are rented come with a neck strap but if it's not padded we strongly encourage upgrading to a padded neck strap, it's much more comfortable!)
- A saxophone swab
- Cork grease
- A wire/folding music stand for home practice
- Single horn in F or Double horn in F/Bb
- Method book: Tradition of Excellence, book 1 for F Horn
- Rotor oil like this or this
- Tuning slide grease like this or this
- A wire/folding music stand for home practice
- Bb trumpet
- Method book: Tradition of Excellence, book 1 for Bb Trumpet
- Valve oil like this or this
- Tuning slide grease like this or this
- A wire/folding music stand for home practice
- Tenor trombone
- Method book: Tradition of Excellence, book 1 for Trombone (make sure it is NOT the T.C. version)
- Small water spray bottle and good trombone slide cream such as Slide-O-Mix, Trombotine, or Superslick (I DO NOT RECOMMEND VALVE OIL)
- Tuning slide grease like this or this (this is different than slide cream!)
- A wire/folding music stand for home practice
- Baritone or Euphonium
- Method book: Tradition of Excellence, book 1 for Baritone B.C.
- Valve oil like this or this
- Tuning slide grease like this or this
- A wire/folding music stand for home practice
Please note that 5th grade percussionists will be bringing their full percussion kit to school for the first few months. Around Thanksgiving, they will only be required to bring their snare pad, snare sticks, yarn mallets, and music back and forth to school. 6th-8th grade percussionists will be required to bring their snare pad, snare sticks, yarn mallets, and music back and forth to school from the beginning of the year.
- A percussion kit OR its components (listed below) (percussion kits typically include all of the below components, but sometimes may have only a snare pad instead of a snare pad and drum).
- Typically included in a rented percussion kit:
- Snare practice pad (a full snare drum is optional) (please don't use a snare stand from a drumset as they are too short)
- A bells set/glockenspiel and its stand
- Mallets for the bells (hard plastic mallets are preferred)
- Snare drum sticks (vic firth 7a's are preferred)
- Typically not included in a rental kit and will need to be purchased separately
- Yarn Mallets (this is a new requirement as of the '26-'27 school year for ALL percussionists 5th-8th grade)
- Method book: Tradition of Excellence, book 1 for Percussion
- A wire/folding music stand for home practice
Optional items for all instruments:
Metronomes are very useful for all musicians! There are many free options digitally available now.
Tuners: Good to have, but not a priority for beginners. There are now several apps on mobile devices that can be downloaded for this.
Reed Cases: These are very helpful for protecting reeds, but you can get by without one for now.
Instrument stand: If you would like one, but not mandatory. This is different from a music stand which is mandatory.