Instrument Maintenance
by William W. Gourley

My first year teaching was one of those typical smaller school band programs that had several band directors the past few years and the enrollment had dwindled. Throughout the fall marching season I continually encouraged one of the trumpeters with an exceptionally small sound to play with a fuller sound.

Finally, toward the end of November, while once again offering suggestions to improve his sound and watching his eyes bug out as he tried to put more air through the instrument, I just happened to pick up his horn and look through the mouthpiece. To my amazement and some disgust, I found that the bore of the mouthpiece was over 60% clogged with gunk. A quick swipe (maybe it was several swipes) with a mouthpiece brush opened his sound considerably. The smile on his face was memorable.

Another story told by my supervising teacher while I was student teaching, perhaps a bit of band director urban legend, is about a young girl on clarinet who had a history of illness. She would be out of school for a week, return for a day or two and then out for another week. When she was going to be out again for an extended absence her mother picked up her horn. When the director opened the case he noticed a green growth around the reed which had never been taken off the mouthpiece. It was concluded this is why she continued to become ill every time she returned to school. Whether that’s fact or fiction to get woodwind players to take the reed off is irrelevant, it certainly encouraged students to be more vigilant with the care of their reeds.

Then there are the myriad of stories from tennis balls or clothing stuffed in tubas, saxophone end plugs or mouthpiece caps lodged in the body of the instrument, pencils in the lead pipes of brass instruments, valve caps missing from the baritone, spit valve corks missing, and trombone slides that Mr. Universe couldn’t move.

Add to that the more subtle problems: an octave key out of adjustment, a worn or missing pad, bent keys, broken or missing valve guides, etcetera, it is a miracle ensembles can perform well.

Instrument maintenance is not something that has a high priority for most students. As long as they are getting a sound out of the instrument everything is okay. If they can’t play a certain note they just chalk it up to their own inabilities, or live with it becoming frustrated and, possibly, eventually quitting. The trombone player that can’t play a scale in eighth notes because the slide is so pitted or hasn’t been lubricated in weeks just decides to get by the best he/she can.

The music educator understands the importance of a well maintained instrument but this gets prioritized far down the list of many administrative duties and pressure to get the notes and rhythms down for the concert. Plus, this is a nuts and bolts thing not an artistic concern. The reality is this nuts and bolt thing affects the artistic.

The importance of instrument maintenance can be brought into greater focus when you consider, eventually, your most proficient musicians will be playing on the worst instruments. In all probability your best performers are the juniors and seniors and they have had their instrument since the fifth or sixth grade. That includes three to four years of an instrument being in the hands of a middle school student unfamiliar with its intricacies, who has little appreciation for longevity in anything they are involved with from ipods, to cell phones to video game players. Even the computer they have at home may be less than three years old. They live in a world where people lease a new car every two to three years. The typical twelve to fourteen year old has grown up in a world of short term product use.

When you consider their instrument does not have a plug, battery or use gasoline, is it any wonder it can be perceived as not much more than a hockey stick, baseball bat or tennis racket?  If it gets dinged up you just continue to play on.

This cavalier behavior continues in the first year or two in high school. Horns are exposed to outdoor use in the fall and suffer the added abuse that comes from the hoopla of athletic events and horns left everywhere to be knocked off bleachers, chairs or lay on the ground during water breaks, etc. By the time the instrument survives to the eleventh grade it has seen its share of bent slides, stuck valves, bent and weakened keys, and overall poor -if any- maintenance. Consequently, when your students are at their best their instruments are at their worst.

First Year Maintenance

Creating awareness for proper instrument care in the first year will be a great investment in providing for a good quality instrument in the later high school years. Let’s face it 85% of the students will graduate playing the same instrument they had in beginning band so they need to take care of it from the very beginning.

·        During the first month of beginning band continually remind students of the proper assembly and disassembly of their instrument. This should not be very time consuming because students want to play a song not field strip and reassemble an instrument in thirty seconds.

o       Do not have the students assemble the instrument when they come to class. Instead start the class with some rhythm exercises.

o       Incorporate a routine into the class structure that puts the instrument together and reinforces proper habits.

o       Use a routine at the end of class that allows time for the proper disassembly and maintenance of the instrument.

o       Avoid situations where students have to hurriedly put instruments away.

o       Use signs, PowerPoint, overhead projectors and quick verbal comments regarding the lubricating of slides and valves.

·      During the second month take some time to quickly check each instrument.

o       As the class is reviewing material check five to ten instruments each class until you have made it through the class. Don’t forget to monitor the reeds in the case and check for lubricants and swabs. If they don’t have the equipment necessary to care for the instrument they will not be able to properly maintain the instrument.

o       Maintain the assembly and disassembly routine.

o       Continue to briefly remind students each day of the importance of proper maintenance.

·      The remainder of the year, teach the students how to give the instrument a thorough cleaning.

o       Select a week half way through the first year to discuss instrument cleaning.

o       Teach a different instrument cleaning procedure each day. Brasses are basically the same so these can be covered on one day and woodwinds on another.

o       You may be able to discontinue the assembly and disassembly routines but continue to monitor that these are done correctly and allow enough time at the end of class to properly put the instrument away.

o       Continue individual inspections every six weeks.

·      At the end of the school year do a thorough inspection of each instrument and be sure brasses have been lubricated. Chances are they will get very little use over the summer and if reeds are left on the mouthpieces and slides and valves have not been taken care of this will begin the degenerative process which will become the uncorrectable problems in high school. Cases should be cleaned with a vacuum cleaner and not have uneaten snacks or lunches in them. Don’t forget to check case latches and hinges.

Second Year through Eighth Grade Maintenance

Continue reinforcing the students’ awareness for proper instrument care.

·        Within the first two weeks do a quick inspection to be sure valves and slides are working. Look at woodwind mouthpieces for chips and warping. Check flute head joints and end cap corks to see that these are properly adjusted and functional.

·        Two to three times a year inspect each student’s instrument. Again, do a few each day during the warn-up. Pay particular attention to woodwind pads and key adjustment, seating and springs. On brasses check mouthpiece bores, valve piston and casing wear, corks, spit valve springs and valve felts. Lead pipe dents in brasses need to be fixed as well as major dents in bell flares.

·        Continue to passively remind students of proper assembly and disassembly and allow sufficient time at the end of class to encourage this practice.

·        At the end of the year do a final inspection to assure the instrument will be properly stored and lubricated for the fall.

High School Maintenance

At this level, upperclassmen may be able to assist you with inspections.

·        Inspect instruments at the beginning of the year or a week or two prior to band camp if you have a pre-camp.

·        Woodwind pads may need replacing if they have not been previously.

·        Inspect instruments after the marching season, in January and at the end of the year.

·        Random spot inspections throughout the year should be conducted especially in the woodwinds. Check mouthpieces, reeds and flute head joints. On the brasses check that all slides move easily and valves operate smoothly.

Enhancing the students’ awareness of proper instrument maintenance will give them a greater respect for the intricacies of their instrument. Hopefully, when they are the most proficient on their instrument, the instrument will not interfere with their ability to showcase their talents.