Beginning

Band Students: The Instrument

Selection Process

Selecting the right instrument is a crucial step in the music making process. If a student selects wisely, he/she
will most likely enjoy a long future of enjoyable challenges, successes, and pride. If a student is placed on an
instrument that does not suit him/her, it can be a frustrating experience for the student, it can cause strife at
home when the parent tries to get the student to practice, and will most likely result in the student simply
quitting and walking away from what could have been a most rewarding experience.

I am of the opinion that the instrument selects the child; much like the Hogwarts Sorting Hat. I believe it is
important to pay attention to the interest of the student in a specific instrument; but I always believe that
when a child produces a characteristic sound without much effort, they will know that that instrument chose
them. It is an organic approach that has been very successful for me in the past.

Visiting the Elementary Schools

The process begins with the elementary music teacher during the instrument units being taught. Students will
naturally be drawn towards one instrument or another because of the sound, the size, or even how the
instrument looks. This is about all they have to go on at that point. I do want my students to feel like a
partner in the selection process and I have even had the students parents get involved as well.

As a band director, my first step would be to make sure that I have been visible at the elementary schools and
have taken the time to bring instruments into the classroom so that students can get an up-close experience
with them. I want the students to tell me everything they know about each instrument and then I can fill in
the gaps for them. The more they know, the more informed decision they can make when the time comes. I
also make sure that I talk to them about the idea of the instrument selecting the student.

It is also fun to take band students to visit the elementary students. They can play concerts, do pep rallies,
and even have an instrument ‘petting zoo’. The band students may even know some of the elementary
students and it is fun for them to ‘show off’ just a little. The elementary students also tend to trust these
students, as there were once in the same school together.

Listening Survey
I like for the elementary teacher to administer a ‘listening’ survey. The most well known is the Selmer Music
Survey. This is just an aural quiz to see what listening skills the students already possess. It also helps out
when a student may be wavering between the choice of two different instruments. The survey will show how
well the students hear intervals, detect changes in pitches between 2 chords, detect changes in pitches
between two melodies, and detect changes in rhythm between 2 rhythmic passages. I don’t look at this
survey as a make or break ‘test’ for a student to play any specific instrument, but it will give some insight into
their listening skills.

Kathy Johnson
2018

Forms
In order to get information about each student; you will need to have some form of paperwork for them to
bring to you or your colleagues when they have their instrument selection appointment. This document
should include the students name, the parents name, a list of 3 instrument choices, a place for their final
instrument selection, and places on the form for you to take notes as you do the testing. When the student
enters the room, they will pick up the form from the table you have set up at the entrance, and be escorted to
a director for testing. The director will go through the process, fill out the form as he/she goes, and then
return the form to the table to be filed for future use in scheduling the student in the correct class and for
keeping track of how many students will be on each instrument.

Communication with Parents

As I prepare for the instrument selection day, I make sure that I am in frequent communication with the
parents of the students who will be tested. Letting them know the process will take some of the mystery out
of it and will give them confidence that you are not just making arbitrary decisions on what instrument their
child will play. Letting them know the dates for the selection process, the beginner drive, and how band works
at the middle school will also put them at ease and most likely answer questions they may have.

Instrument Selection Process

There are a couple of ways to do the instrument selection process. One way is to set up appointments with
each student and their parent to go through the process together. This is a bit time consuming, but it is a
great way to meet all of the parents and for them to see your dedication to the success of their child on a
band instrument. If you have a large number of students to interview, you can hire trusted band directors
from other districts to come out and help with the interviews. This is a common practice and works very well
for large schools. If your school is smaller, you and your staff can most likely handle all of the interviews.

Another way is to schedule times to interview the students at the elementary school during the school day.
The positive thing about this is you get to talk to every student, not just the ones who show up to the
appointment with their parents. The down side is that the parents usually aren’t available to be there and you
might have to redo the process with some students if their parents want to see how it was done. To expedite
the process, you can, once again, hire trusted band directors to come out to help with this process so that it is
completed in a timely manner. Retired directors are good choices for this.

During the instrument selection process the director who is working with the student will talk to them, watch
their facial structure during conversation, make some mental determinations based on what they see in the
students musculature, and then begin working with the student on the various mouthpieces and even the
assembled instrument. You can get a lot of information about a student’s facial structure by watching them
speak, smile, frown, etc.

I then tell the student and their parents (if they are present) what I see in the student’s facial structure and
begin going through the instruments they put on their list. I also let then know that we are looking for the
instrument that feels the most natural for the student. When they get to the right instrument, it will feel
‘easy’ to play and fairly comfortable. I explain the idea of not having the student do something with their face
that goes against their natural structure. Forcing these muscles to do anything that goes against the natural
Kathy Johnson
2018

structure is going to be a long and frustrating process. So, if I see something in the student’s facial structure
that leads me to another instrument, I will also try that instrument with the student to see how it feels to
them. It has been my experience that as soon as a student tries the instrument that is most natural for them,
they immediately light up and tell me that is the one for them.

There are always going to be students who have their mind set on one particular instrument even though it
may go against their natural inclinations. I always talk to them about this and let them know that if it is their
hearts desire to play this instrument, we can give it a go. If, however, they are not being successful within the
first 9 weeks or so, I want them to reconsider and perhaps switch to an instrument they were more suited for.
They should have no problem catching up with the class on the new instrument.

Instrument Specific Selection Process

Flute: Look for moderately full lips that are clearly defined around the vermilion border. Some students will
have a teardrop or cupid’s bow in their top lip, which can cause the airstream to split into two streams as it
enters the aperture hole of the head joint. This is not a desirable trait; but there are some students whose
teardrop disappears when you ask them to make a sound on the head joint. So, always check that before you
say ‘no flute for you’ to someone with a teardrop. In addition, if someone with a teardrop wants to play that
instrument and nothing else, even if it means more work; you can have them play out of the left aperture and
close the right one off. Another trait that can be a hindrance is someone with a short top lip. For example,
their top lip does not reach their bottom lip, or close, in a resting position. That top lip is crucial for air
direction.

Oboe: In regards to embouchure, a fuller lower lip is a desirable trait. The student should have moderately
long fingers in order to cover the tone holes and to reach all keys without destroying hand position. This is a
challenging instrument, so I always ask the student about their organizational skills, what kind of student are
they, do they keep a tidy room, etc. These are just character traits of students that tend to be drawn to this
instrument.

Bassoon: In regards to embouchure, there really isn’t a particular trait that I look for. I am mostly concerned
about hand size, organizational skills, and what kind of student they are. This is also a challenging instrument
and it takes someone with an inquisitive personality, strong work ethic and a stick-to-it attitude. The reach
between fingers is pretty wide in the left hand and when you add all of the thumb keys on the back of the left
hand it makes for a pretty large stretch. So hand size and finger length will be a trait to watch for.

Clarinet: The main thing that I look for in a clarinet player is similar to the brass players, and that is a naturally
flat chin. For clarinet, the more point and flat, the better. This is something you can easily see when you are
talking to a student and also when they smile. A flat chin is sometimes hard to manipulate, but if it is natural,
there are no problems. Hand and finger size need to be moderately large in order to completely cover the
tone holes. Students with very small fingertips sometimes have trouble completely sealing the open tone
holes on the clarinet. Due to the mouthpiece snugging up behind the top teeth, you need to watch for
students with extremely crooked teeth that might prevent the mouthpiece from fitting into that area behind
the top teeth.

Kathy Johnson
2018

Saxophone: Because the saxophone embouchure is more like an oboe or bassoon embouchure rather than a
clarinet embouchure, I look for similar things. The chin of a saxophone player needs to be flatter than that of
an oboist, and may be rounder in shape than the clarinetist, but the bottom lip is very similar to the oboe.
Students need to be able to bring the corners of their mouth in the seal the mouthpiece and not create a hard,
stretched bottom lip. I look for medium sized hands to facilitate the left hand pinky and palm keys.

Trumpet: Once again, the main thing that I look for in a trumpet player is that naturally flat, pointed chin.
Lips need to be of medium fullness with the top lip not being too thin. Lips should close in a resting position.
The valves are playing in the right hand, so there needs to be good dexterity in that hand. The hands must be
large enough to operate the 1st and 3rd valve slides. Students with orthodontia concerns in the top teeth may
struggle a bit. Some concessions might have to be made in terms of where the mouthpiece is placed, head
angle, etc. Straight teeth, or close to straight teeth are a desirable trait.

Horn: Horn lips can be slightly less full than trumpet lips; however, they should be fairly uniform. Lips should
close in a resting position. I look for a naturally flat chin that is round to pointed in shape. I do check the pitch
recognition in the aural portion of the music survey test. Horn players need to have a good sense of relative
pitch. Horn spatulas are played with the left hand, so there does need to be some dexterity in that hand and
large enough to manage the spatulas and the thumb trigger. The right hand will be used in the bell and
eventually to support the instrument.

Trombone, Euphonium, & Tuba: Full lips are ok here, but not necessarily a must. I look for a rounded natural
flat chin. Teeth structure is a bit more forgiving with the larger mouthpieces. Lips should close in a resting
position. A longer philtrum (the area between the nose and upper lip) is desirable for low brass players.
Trombone players will need long enough arms to play the longer slide positions without disrupting
mouthpiece placement on the embouchure. Tuba players need to be able to hold the instrument and reach
the valves/spatulas without disrupting embouchure placement on the mouthpiece.

Percussion: I have learned that good percussionist think differently than most people. They are analytical and
very math oriented. With that said, the first thing I do if a student wants to play percussion is have them find
their wind instrument first. If they still think they want to play percussion, then they will go to the ‘math’ table
and take a short written, grade appropriate, math test. This test says a lot about how a student thinks. When
all the test are graded, I rank them by score and then begin the process of checking their coordination. Show
the student how to hold a set of drumsticks, show them what you are looking for in regards to technique, stick
height, etc., and use a simple I play, you play exercise; for example, 8 on a hand, simple paradiddles, some
rhythm call and response. The students who manage this easily and pay attention to the details of how to
hold the sticks and stick height, will be in the percussion class. Whether or not a student has had piano
lessons is not necessarily a factor.

Instrument Drive
Once everyone is placed on an instrument, their parents are given instructions to come to the school on a
specific night to secure their instrument and supplies for the next school year. This is called an instrument
drive. You will have a music store set up to write contracts for instrument rental and take money for supply
kits. All instruments and supplies are then delivered to you at your school right before the next school year
starts.

Kathy Johnson
2018


If you do your selection process by interviews with parents, you can do the drive on the same night so they
can take care of everything at once. There are always those families who have an instrument that belonged to
a family member or friend. I have them bring the instrument to me to check. If it is usable, I will have them
send it in to have it cleaned and checked for leaks, pads that need to be replaced, dented valves, etc. I also
mention, should their student begin to excel and the instrument is holding them back, they will need to
purchase a step-up instrument.

In the fall, all instruments and supply kits that were ordered at your drive will be delivered to your school
where you will distribute them to the students as needed. There will be stragglers who didn’t order their
equipment at the drive and will have to get their instruments and supplies when school starts.

Kathy Johnson
2018