One of the best articles I have seen on this topic is published by a music store in Orange County. PLEASE read this before going with a cheap, bargain instrument from a department store or website!

Recommended Brands of Band Instruments
 These are recommendations for beginner instruments.
Our local dealers also carry brands not listed below. You can certainly trust the recommendations from Dietz Bros. Music, Allegro Music, and Marshall Music.
PLEASE, PLEASE do not buy your instrument at a warehouse store, department store, or on Ebay/Craigslist (unless it is a brand listed below and you are prepared to spend $100 or more to get it ready for your child to play).

Flute: Yamaha, Gemeinhardt

Clarinets: Vito,Yamaha, Buffet

Oboes: Yamaha, Selmer. You might have to rent from Marshall's in Torrance.
You might not want to buy the instrument you rent. Check with your child's private teacher for guidance.

Saxophones: Best--Yamaha. Good--Selmer

Trumpets: Best--Bach, Holton. Good--Yamaha

French horns: Holton, Conn, Yamaha. You might have to rent from Marshall's in Torrance.
You might not want to buy the instrument you rent. After elementary school, most horn players switch to "double horns." Most horn players do not purchase an instrument until middle school or high school unless they are working with a private teacher.

Trombones: Holton, Yamaha, Bach

Euphoniums (aka baritones): Yamaha, Holton. You might have to rent from Marshall's in Torrance. You might not want to buy the instrument you rent. Most euphonium players wait until middle school or high school to actually purchase an instrument unless they are working with a private teacher.

Bell Kits for Percussion: Any brand sold by a music store including Yamaha, Ludwig, Selmer. Request a case with wheels.

Read Miss Johnson's rant about cheap, off-brand instruments...

DO NOT buy the instruments from the discount stores or websites advertising deeply cut prices on off-brand instruments. Some parents think that it is better to buy a cheap instrument until the child decides if band is something to stick with. It is incredibly unfair to give your child a piece of substandard equipment. "But my child can make a sound on it" you might say. BUT, just because a nine-year old can eek out some notes does not mean the instrument plays all the notes, plays the full range, plays in tune, and won't break next week.

Speaking of breaking, in a large class setting, it is challenging to give each child individual attention. A cheap instrument IS likely to get out of adjustment, and it may be a week or more before the teacher determines that it's the instrument with a problem, not the child. Then, there is the additional week or two it takes to repair it...and finally, three months into the school year when the child has gone one-third of the time without a working instrument, a parent says, "I'm glad we got the cheap one because my kid doesn't seem to be really into it." No surprise.

But, parents hesitate to pay for an expensive instrument without knowing if it will be used for more than a year. Frankly, the expense is worth it when you think of it as a nine month investment. Also, you can rent instead of buying. If you have financial constraints, you can ask if there are anymore district-owned instruments available.

Thanks for reading my heartfelt opinions on this subject!