This is a repost from this time last year, but is still great information on the best ways to obtain an instrument from Paige’s! It’s the beginning of August. The sun is shining, the wind is warm, it’s the height of summer. In Indiana, school is starting. For many students, this means that English, math, biology, history come roaring back from the long summer. For a growing number of students, this also means the beginning of the musician’s journey! At Paige’s Music, we have partnered with many schools throughout the state to become the supplier of school band and orchestra instruments. For many families, the easiest option is to rent. Renting with Paige’s Music is a great opportunity to participate in music-making. We make rental easy and convenient and provide you with peace of mind. All of our band and orchestra rentals include free repair and replacement, free deliveries and pick-up, exchange, return, and early purchase discount options. We have several convenient options for renting an instrument on our Debut Rental plan.

Instrumental practice often consists of the classic combination of long tones, scales, and etudes. While this combination of exercises is “classic” for a reason, there is one glaring omission: sound. Sound is the most important of playing no matter if you are a beginning 6th grader or a seasoned professional in the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. If you are playing a scale at a very fast tempo, the number of notes passing is irrelevant in each note has poor sound quality. If you are hitting very high notes on your instrument and they don’t sound good, they don’t count for much. If you are playing in an ensemble and you are “in tune” but have a poor sound quality….you get the idea.

You’ve made it through the first half of the school year! For many of you, that means you’ve probably played a few concerts, recently completed your marching band season, or maybe you’re headed to the Rose Parade. With winter comes the thrill of pep band, the improvisation of jazz band, the spinning of winter guard, or the rhythms of winter percussion. You know by now, being a musician is a never-ending process with performances and rehearsals perpetually around the corner. With so much going on, you’re probably ecstatic to have a few weeks of winter break to take a break from all the commotion. While it’s great to take a break from any activity that takes up so much of your time, it’s important to incorporate a little bit of practice during your off-time to maintain your peak condition. Many professional athletes can attest to the same thing: just maintaining your physical state during the off-season makes it much easier to perform at your best when it’s game time. Here are few tips for musicians to maintain their “chops” during the off-season: Long tones For a few minutes a day, simply play a few long tones. This will get your

Music does not have to end with high school graduation. You are not required to be a music major to reap the benefits of a college music program. Compared to a high school program, colleges and universities can offer a much wider array of ensembles to play in, such as year-round orchestra, wind ensemble, chamber ensembles, jazz bands, show choir, theater ensembles as well as marching band and pep band. Performing music at the college level is a transformative experience. What makes the experience transformative is that most of the work and practice you put into it will be on your own. Almost all of your rehearsal time will be put into the music itself. Your group rehearsals may also be quite independent in terms of sectionals and other small group rehearsals. This time will challenge you to improve yourself without the supervision you might be used to. This gives you the opportunity to not only master your instrument and performance of music, but to make incredible lifetime friends!