Instrument Inspections

Students are expected to bring their instrument home everyday from school. Every Monday (or Tuesday when there is a holiday) morning when students walk into the Band Hall, they stop by the instrument inspection desk to show their their band binder and have their instrument, mouthpiece, head joint, and/or double reeds inspected for cleanliness. The purpose of Monday instrument inspections is to reinforce good instrument hygiene and accountability. They are graded every week as student homework.

The following criteria defines what a clean instrument/mouthpiece/head joint/double reed hygiene look like for every instrument:

Flute: Any spit and dirt build-up on lip plate and edges of tone hole is wiped/scraped off, and all finger prints are wiped off entire instrument with cotton cloth.

Clean Flute

Dirt build-up on mouthpiece, finger prints on keys.

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Clarinet & Saxophone: Mouthpiece is clean of spit and dirt build up. Toothpick is used to remove build up in edges of mouthpiece. Additionally, they should have three good, working reeds (no chips!) in their reed guard.

Clean Clarinet/Saxophone Mouthpiece

Reed guard with working reeds

Dirty Clarinet/Saxophone Mouthpiece

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Oboe & Bassoon: 3 working reeds that are not chipped or cracked. If a reed gets chipped over the weekend, student must have money ready to purchase a new reed at inspection. If they are financially not able to have money at the time of inspection, they must text the Band Directors prior to the mouthpiece inspection to be excused.

3 working reeds in case

Chipped and cracked reeds not in case

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Brass: Mouthpiece brush is used to clean inside of mouthpiece. No build up is seen in the shank.

Clean shank

Dirty shank

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Percussion: Students are prepared with stick bag (including snare drum sticks, rubbe mallets, and yarn mallets) and their band binder.

Stick bag (with all drum sticks) and binder