Set yourself up for success by maximizing your remaining budget dollars.

We’re here to help you find the best options for you and your students!

School and work might look a bit different right now, but some things don’t change, like our dedication to music educators and students. As we all work together during these challenging times, we want to assist you with determining the best options and value for your end-of-year budget dollars. Read the suggestions from our Education Consultants and Sales Specialists about some of their favorite go-to items, and feel free to contact one of them if you’d like additional suggestions, assistance, or a custom package!

Set Your Classroom Up for Success! Suggestions from Our Team:

Jessica’s Recommendations – Recorders and Children’s Literature

When people are looking to start or revamp their recorder curriculum, I want to make sure they have the instruments, accessories, and books to set them up for success. For elementary students, I suggest a 3-piece recorder like the Harmony by West Music or the Yamaha 20 series. These recorders are easy to clean and include soft fabric bags to allow the recorder to air out between sessions. If you have a lot of students, our classroom sets are an affordable and easy way to make sure every student has their own recorder.

Once you have recorders picked out, consider any accessories you might need. A Neck Strap or a Snap-on Thumb Rest are great solutions to keep recorder playing accessible to all players by providing stability. Finally, the right book will help both students and the teacher succeed! Recorder Express or Recorder Revolutions have some great packages with student and teacher materials – including CDs, interactive software, and teacher manuals.

Children’s literature adds so much value to your music room! Books can be used to create sound stories, facilitate sing-alongs, and add literacy to any lesson. Children’s lit book bundles are a great way to add ready-to-teach books to your arsenal. Creative Bits with Children’s Lit and S’More Creative Bits bundles children’s books with lesson plans, songs, games, movement, puppetry, and drama. Awesome Books with Musical Hooks with book bundle , Painted Music with book bundle, and Stories that Sing with book bundle are three more great additions to your collection of storybook lessons.

-Jessica is here to assist with any needs you have for Recorders as well as our wide variety of Music & Books! Email Jessica at jpalmer@westmusic.com or call 800-397-9378 ext 1325.

Sam’s Recommendations – Ukuleles!

​Bringing ukulele into your classroom can be less expensive than you might think. Start with a basic classroom set of 10 ukes and add on as many more as you see fit. Or go with the set of 20 for $1,039.99.

If you already have ukuleles there are some great add-on accessories that can help your storage and accessibility, such as the A & S Ukulele Mobile Cart, which allows you to easily transport up to 30 ukes to other classrooms or a performance area. The On-Stage Rack holds 12 ukes and can be mounted on a wall or used as a floor stand. For more options check out this blog on ukulele storage here: Starting a Ukulele Program in Your Classroom: Part 5 of 6

-Sam is here to assist with any needs you have for Ukuleles, Guitar & Folk Instruments! Email Sam email smarchuk@westmusic.com or call 800-397-9378 ext 1343.

Adam’s Recommendations – Sound Systems

​Yamaha makes everything from guitars to motorcycles, but their origins show through on their logo – three pitch forks in the shape of a star. Yamaha’s roots are in music, and the STAGEPAS 400BT exceeds expectations. The STAGEPAS 400BT has four XLR/ 1/4” inputs, giving you more than enough inputs for a classroom, and the 400-watt portable PA is powerful enough for small performances. The two-way speakers provide a full range of sound, and the 8” woofer is small but mighty. Connect your electronic device for prerecorded music and/or backing tracks via the built in Bluetooth or the stereo channels. Use a pair of speaker stands so the speakers are at the right height for maximum room coverage.

– For additional assistance selecting Sound Systems, including portable systems, components, microphones, amps, and more! Email service@westmusic.com or call 800-397-9378.

Judy’s Recommendations – Mallets and Orff Instruments

​Mallets are one of those items that need to be replaced every now and then. Yarn headed mallets get a little frizzy looking, and wood mallets can become splintered through the years. Take a good look at every percussion and barred instrument that uses mallets and use these ideas on how to replace them. Soft yarn mallets are designed for use with bass xylophones and metallophones, to bring out those low mellow tones for the foundation in your ensemble. Use softer mallets with alto metallophones too. Medium-hard yarn mallets for the alto xylophone parts, as they play the quarter, eighth and sixteenth notes. Soprano xylophones with their shorter resonator boxes and bars prefer the hard yarn mallets and perhaps some hard rubber or plastic mallets for special effects.

As metallophones are used for sustained tones, the soft and medium-hard mallets suite them well. Hard rubber or wooden mallets are just right for glockenspiels, depending upon the quality of sound you’re wanting for your group. This might be the time to consider one pair of mallets per student too. Think of mallets as the windshield wipers on your Orff instruments, and help your students play their very best with one of our ready-made sets (item# 261505, 261506, and 261024), or we’ll customize one just for you!

– Judy is here to assist with any needs you have for Orff Instruments & Accessories, as well as overall Classroom Instruments & Materials. Email Judy at jpine@westmusic.com or call 800-397-9378 ext 1300.

Tereasa’s Recommendations – Percussion and Early Childhood Music & Movement

In the unpitched percussion world, we can help you outfit your classroom with the right combination and balance of metals, shakers, scrapers, woods, and drums. We also have many larger-bodied drums and can get you the best drum options for you and your students and fit any budget. Some of our most popular offerings include percussion packages such as the Basic Beat Percussion Packages, set of 3 Remo Tubanos, Remo Versa sets, Remo Festival sets, and the brand new West Music Easy-Clean Percussion Kits. We’re also always here to help you customize any of our percussion offerings to get your students rhythmically engaged.

When people are looking for some great early childhood instruments to complete their collection, consider having a variety of timbres and volumes. Look at exploratory instruments in full-class sets, along with specialty items that will only be played by 1 or 2 students at a time. Some of our go-to favorites for class sets are Basic Beat Jumbo Egg Shakers, Single Bell Jingle, Sandblocks, and Rhythm sticks. Not only are full sets affordable, but they also aren’t too loud even when everyone is playing, and can easily be stored in totes and cubbies.

For illustrating songs and stories, a great collection of individual specialty items makes every activity even more fun. Check out things like the Basic Beat Bell Tree, Stir Xylophone, and Kokiriko. Add in a few Remo Thunder Tubes and Didgeharp Shakers and you will have a collection to enhance any activity!

– Tereasa is here to assist with any needs you have for Classroom Drums & Percussion and Early Childhood Music & Movement! Email Tereasa at tevans@westmusic.com or call 800-397-9378 ext 1320.

Randy’s Recommendations – Mariachi and Accessories

​One of the most expensive investments for new Mariachi programs is the guitarrón. These handcrafted instruments are big, bold, and beautifully made. They are also VERY delicate. I have been to many summer workshops/competitions and I have yet to attend one where an instrument wasn’t damaged in transit. West Music has a solution, our heavy-duty deluxe guitarrón case. This case is made from ABS plastic and is incredibly strong. Many professional Mariachi musicians rely on this case, especially when using air travel. It comes standard with a TSA-approved locking center latch, in-line wheels, and telescoping handle for easy maneuvering. After you make that instrument investment, make it a priority to keep it safe for years to come!

As we all know, recorders are a staple in the music classroom. Starting at grade 4 (some districts grade 3) students can be taught recorder as a precursor to middle school band and orchestra instruments. There are many wonderful printed and digital resources available for teaching recorder, but sometimes the importance of accessories that aid in the process can be overlooked.

• Are you are playing recorders while using the Orff approach? Neck-straps can extremely helpful when doing movement between playing recorder parts, rotating from barred instruments to unpitched percussion…etc.
• Especially now, proper handling of freshly cleaned recorders is important and that process can be simplified by employing the use of a soprano recorder rack. If you are using the top rack of your cafeteria dishwasher (without a heated drying cycle) or a disinfecting spray. This rack is great for ensuring the recorders dry completely between practices.
• And of course, a few extra canvas recorder bags are always good to have around for the ones that somehow disappear!

– Randy is here to assist with any needs you have for Mariachi Instruments & Accessories, as well as overall Classroom Instruments & Materials! Email Randy at rhargis@westmusic.com or call 800-397-9378 ext 1309.

Adam B.’s Recommendations – Percussion and Sticks & Mallets

​I like to talk to band and orchestra directors about sound color in their percussion section. The idea of using “the one triangle” or “the one tambourine” for every piece of music is a very rudimentary thought. Having options and colors by offering your percussionists different sizes of triangles or a few different types of tambourines is a great way to enhance the sound of your ensemble. Using a large 10” triangle for a delicate, soft, passage would not be appropriate for the surroundings so I would recommend a 4” like this one from Sonor or 6” from our partners at Sabian. Darker and brighter tambourines like these from Black Swamp give you more color options as well depending on the mood and feeling of what is going on in the music.

Just like accessory instruments, sticks and mallets also very important. Again, what is the music calling for? Having a wide variety of sticks and mallets on hand is like why painters don’t only paint with one brush. Engaging with your percussionists to figure out how to make the instruments speak to match the rest of the band is an important aspect of musicianship. As budget allows and as you build up your collection, remember to look through that old percussion cabinet and see what items need attention and broaden your percussive sounds to enhance your ensemble. We are here to help guide you through this process.

-Adam B. is here to assist with any needs you have for Band & Orchestra Percussion! Contact Adam at our sibling company Percussion Source by emailing aballing@percussionsource.com or calling 866-849-4387 ext 1312.