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The best place to purchase these supplies is at one of our local music stores!

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All students are required to have certain materials and supplies at all times. At the start of the year, we provide a band binder with all sheet music and exercises, two pencils, and a highlighter. We always have extra pencils/highlighters to use during class in case your student loses theirs. Students are held responsible for having supplies daily.
 

ALL students need the following at all times:

1. Band instrument and appropriate supplies (instrument-specific supplies below) 

2. Their band binder including all books, handouts, and music

3. A pencil and highlighter in working condition!

 

Every Woodwind/Brass student needs:

1) A music stand for home use

• Any wire one will work! We recommend any cheap wire music stand you can find. There is no need to spend a lot of money on a “premium” one unless you want to buy a nicer one. This will stay at home and does not need to come to school at any point.

2) Metronome/Tuner and a clip

• Korg TM70 tuner and CM-400 clip (Amazon link) are the tuners we use here.

  • Please do not get one of the round / square ones that clips right onto the instrument. They lack features we use daily, have poor battery life, and we do not have extra batteries/chargers for them. (See pictures below for examples)

• 8th graders and above, you might have a Korg TM-60. It is the older model, but it works well and you do NOT need to replace it!

  • **IMPORTANT** The older model (CM-300) and newer model (CM-400) clips are NOT interchangeable between tuners

  • If your tuner is a TM60, you need a CM-300 clip, (click here to order one)

  • If your tuner is a TM70, you need a CM-400 clip (click here to order one)

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Foundations for Superior Performance - We will order these

All 7th-12th grade woodwind and brass students need the Blue Foundations for Superior Performance book. We will order these as a part of the band fees. If your students take care of theirs, it can last them years!​

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INSTRUMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

To ensure every Argyle ISD band student has the best chance for success, we have standardized the recommended instrument brands and models for our students. We also provide guidance and recommendations for "step-up" instruments when your student is ready for a higher-quality option.

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When it comes to musical instruments, the adage "you get what you pay for" rings
true. The quality of an instrument significantly impacts a student's success and experience. Cheaper or lower-quality instruments often feature inferior materials like thin metals that bend or break easily, weak solder points, or wood that cracks (or isn't genuine wood). This can lead to frequent malfunctions and, in many cases, make instruments impossible for local repair shops to fix due to unavailable parts.

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Click here to see our standardized Argyle ISD instrument models and step-up recommendations!

 

“Step up” instruments

Step-up instruments are made of higher quality materials and better craftsmanship than the beginner model instrument your student may be currently on. They are built to tighter tolerances and are typically assembled by hand and individually play-tested before being shipped out for sale. They play a little bit differently, typically respond better, and sound better than the beginner/intermediate instruments your students started on. In fact, we even do this with school owned instruments. The school-owned instruments our 7th graders play on are more expensive and step-up models compared to the 6th grade ones! The models our high schoolers play are often a step-up model compared to the ones our middle schoolers play.

 

Step-up instruments help your student get to the next level of growth and ability. It is our experience that when students get a step-up instrument, they become even more dedicated with their practice and hard work knowing the investment you are putting into their music education!

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Click here to see our standardized Argyle ISD instrument models and step-up recommendations!

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Instrument-specific SUPPLIES:

Flutes:

• A SILK swab in good condition without any tears, knots, etc. (The silk ones are machine washable with your dirty laundry. Silk swabs are less likely to get stuck inside the instrument than cotton swabs or swabs made from other materials

• It's good to have a silver polishing cloth to wipe down the Flute occasionally to prevent it from tarnishing. It doesn't need to be a flute-specific one

 

Oboes/Bassoons:

1. At least 3 reeds in good condition (No chips, cracks, or MOLD... Yes, I have to specify...)

2. A reed case with their name on it and space for at least 3 reeds

3. Reed soaker cup / clip

4. A swab in good condition without any tears, knots, etc. (The silk ones are machine washable with your dirty laundry!)

 

Clarinets / Saxophones

1. A SILK swab in good condition without any tears, knots, etc. (The silk ones are machine washable with your dirty laundry!) Silk swabs are less likely to get stuck inside the instrument than cotton swabs or swabs made from other materials

2. A reed case with their name on it and space for at least 8 reeds

3. At least 8 reeds in good condition (No chips, cracks, or MOLD... Yes, I have to specify...) You will need a new box to start the school year, reeds have a limited lifespan.

   • ​​CLARINETS - Please purchase D'addario Reserve Classic strength 3.5 reeds (Unless a director or lesson teacher asked you to purchase 3.5+ or stronger!)​

   • SAXOPHONES- Please purchase Vandoren BLUE BOX strength 3 reeds

   • Please do not try to find cheaper reeds or alternative options to save money. Speaking from experience, it will only cause you and your students frustration!

4. Cork Grease - One tube (That looks like Chapstick) should last YEARS

5. Mouthpiece Patches (Optional) - I personally prefer the thicker black ones, but they also make thinner clear ones. These are personal preference!

 

Trumpets / Horns / Euphoniums / Tubas

1. Mouthpiece (Bach 3C for 7th grade Trumpets and older, Holton MC for horns, Schilke 51D for Euphoniums, Schilke Helleberg SH for Tubas)

2. Valve Oil

3. Slide Grease

4. Cleaning Snake and Valve Brushes

 

Trombones

1. Slide-o-mix OR Yamaha Trombone Slide Lubricant (Purple bottle)

2. Spray bottle (with their name on it!)

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PERCUSSION SUPPLIES:

All percussionists need a metronome 

Our wind players use a Korg TM70. If your student has a phone, we recommend the Frozen Ape “Tempo” metronome app on their phone or “Tonal Energy”.

 

All percussionists need these for practicing at home. These will stay at home:

1. Snare practice pad / stand at home 

   • We recommend the Offworld Outlander Practice Pad with a stand

2. Practice Marimba at home 

   • We recommend TexasMarimbas

3. Wire music stand

   • Any wire one will work! We recommend any cheap wire music stand you can find. There is no need to spend a lot of money on a “premium” one unless you want to buy a nicer one.

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Stick Bags:

A Stick Bag that zips up (without any holes in it!) and your student's name on it. Ms. Mollenkopf recommends the Humes and Berg GL8000 stick bag for beginners. If your student needs a bigger one, look at Saylers and Innovative Percussion.

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Snare sticks - Two different pairs, THREE if your student is in Jazz Band

1. Concert sticks - Innovative Percussion (IP-LD)

2. **NEW FOR EVERYONE** Marching sticks - Innovative FSTR (for pep rallies and playing on different drums)

3. JAZZ BAND STUDENTS ONLY - Vic Firth American Jazz 1 Drumsticks

 

Two pairs of Marimba Mallets **NEW FOR 7TH GRADE**:

• A SECOND pair of what you already had from 6th or 7th grade so we can start doing "Four mallet" playing

  • This is a new skill we teach in 7th/8th grade

• 7th/8th graders - You more than likely have the Innovative Percussion IP3105b mallets. If they are in good condition, you can just buy a second pair.

• If your mallets are not in good condition, please purchase two pairs of either the Salyers E20 or the Innovative Percussion IP240 mallets.

 

Timpani Mallets **NEW FOR 7TH GRADE**

• Timpani Mallets - Promark Jonathan Haas - JH 2

• In 7th grade, we ask all students to add a set of Timpani mallets to their stick bag.

• As long as they are taken care of, these will last your students YEARS

 

If you have questions about any of these supplies:

Please reach out to Ms. Mollenkopf at Christine.Mollenkopf@argyleisd.com

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PHONES AND PHONE APPS

We do not allow your students to use their phones during class or during the school day, but when used responsibly, they can be a great tool or for practicing. If your student has a phone, these are some things we recommend they have:

 

Email (Free)

We highly recommend that all students with a phone log into their school Gmail account on it to make communication easier. There will be times where we email your students or they need to email us quickly with questions or important information.

 

Google Classroom app (Free)

Almost every assignment your student does this year, not just in band, but in all of their classes, will be on Google Classroom. The Google Classroom app will let your students quickly view upcoming assignments in all of your classes, see due dates, and more. Most of our assignments are “Video assignments” where students record videos of themselves performing music, and the Classroom app allows your students to record and upload directly from their phones.

 

Tonal Energy app ($5.99)

Tonal Energy is a very powerful tuner and metronome app that has a lot of different tempo, tuning, analysis, and tone generation capabilities past what most standalone tuners and metronomes are capable of. We use the “Tone Generation” and “analysis” features a lot in class and it can be a gamechanger when you know how to use it.

TE Tuner screenshots and features: