Profiles to help with band instrument selection:
Flute, Saxophone, or Percussion: Only one of these can be on your list of three. We cannot have 80 flutes, 48 saxophones, 200 percussionists, and 2 trombones and expect to have a good band program. Please read the information below before choosing one of these instruments.
Flute: Students who own a flute and/or students who have had private flute lessons will be good candidates. The flute is small and has a pretty sound. Students will need to become good on flute before possibly moving on to piccolo in high school. Generally too many students request the flute, but it varies from year to year. Because it is so popular, it is very competitive when it comes to things like All-west TN Band and being accepted into other honor bands and receiving scholarships. For example, of approximately 250 jr high students auditioning for the All-West TN Band, they accepted 27 flute players. Approximately 6-8 students are assigned to the flute.
Oboe: A somewhat difficult instrument to play at first but a true solo instrument that is in demand with full scholarship opportunities at the college level. Students should be very serious about music with possible piano background to play the oboe. Students are also recommended to take private lessons right away. The oboe is a member of the woodwind family and has a double reed. Students who play another woodwind instrument could switch to oboe later. Oboes are most of the time provided by the school for a small yearly fee. Approximately 1-2 students are assigned to the oboe.
Clarinet: A good choice for most students – easy to learn at the beginning with many challenges for the long term. It is very similar to the recorder in many ways. Large numbers of clarinet players are chosen for area honor bands, more than any other instrument (72 players chosen to the All-West Bands). Clarinet is a very good basic instrument that you can easily change to bass clarinet, oboe, bassoon, or saxophone later. Approximately 12-16 students will be assigned the clarinet.
Bassoon: An outstanding choice for students who wish to audition for honor bands and receive full college scholarships. Only a few students will be chosen for bassoon because of the scarcity of the instrument. There are many, many good opportunities to get in local honor bands. This instrument is considered a low woodwind and a double reed instrument. It is somewhat unusual in appearance and somewhat difficult to play. These are often provided by the school for a small yearly fee. Approximately 1-2 students will be assigned the bassoon.
Alto Saxophone: Very few students will be assigned the saxophone. The saxophone is chosen by a large number of students because of its visibility on television and popular recordings. It is used primarily considered a jazz instrument. Based on recent information from major universities, full scholarship opportunities are strong for all instruments except saxophone unless the student is in the upper 3%. Some students who choose this instrument as their first choice will be assigned to another instruments. If you are truly interested in saxophone, make sure that clarinet is one of your other choices because the swtich to saxophone is very easy from clarinet. Students start as beginners on alto saxophone and if interested or needed, can change to tenor or bari sax the next year. Approximately 4-5 students will be assigned to the saxophone.
Trumpet: A good choice for most students and very important to the band program. This is the highest brass instrument and probably the easiest of the brass instruments. People can switch relatively easily to other brass instruments once starting on trumpet. Because of its popularity, it is a lot more competitive at honor bands and for scholarships. For example, of approximately 250 trumpet students auditioning for All-West TN band, about 27 were accepted. Approximately 10-15 students will be assigned to the trumpet.
French Horn: A beautiful instrument and a good choice for students who have piano background. This instrument is a brass instrument with a pleasant mellow sound. Good players are guaranteed large scholarships at the college level (This is Mrs. Sanders’ instrument and she received music scholarships to four major universities and still plays in the Bartlett Community Band).
Trombone: A great choice for most students and much needed in the Appling band. The trombone is used in almost every ensemble at the high school/college level – marching band, concert band, jazz band, and orchestras. Scholarship offers are very strong. This instrument is very important to the low sounds of the band. It is the only brass instrument played with a slide and the slide positions are learned quickly. Approximately 10 students will be assigned to the trombone.
Baritone: A very good choice for most students and much needed for the Appling band. The baritone looks like a tuba but is much smaller. There are many chances for getting into local honor bands and for scholarships. These are provided by the school for a small yearly fee. Approximately 3-4 students will be assigned the baritone.
Tubas: Absolutely the most important instrument in any band program. It is quite large compared to the other instruments but vital to the band because of its low sounds. We do have ¾ size tubas that students can start on. Having a band without a tuba is like having a stereo without the bass- it doesn’t sound very good. There are many opportunities to attend honor bands if playing the tuba. Scholarship opportunities are very, very strong and major universities constantly ask high school programs for the names of students who play tuba. This is a wise choice despite its size. These are provided by the school for a small yearly fee. At least 2-4 students will be assigned the tuba.
Percussion: The word “drummer” does not apply here. A percussionist will learn how to play bells first before learning anything else. They will also learn to play timpani, cymbals, and other accessory instruments as well as the snare drum. A few facts to consider: An honor band of 100 students only uses one snare drummer. Band arrangements simply do not call for large numbers of percussionists. At most there may be 7-8 players needed when the band attends concert festival. Percussionists must have good behavior or they will be percussionists no longer. They must be very patient because they often sit and wait their turn. If a student has a background in piano and/or has a desire to study with a good percussionist, then the choice is a good one.