Whether you’ve always wanted to take a crack at playing the fiddle, or you just signed your son up for drum lessons – how are you going to take your music lessons home and grow? You need an instrument to play! The best way to get an instrument depends on a lot of factors: your commitment level, whether you are going to perform, your budget, and in some cases what kinds of music you want to play. Luckily, there just as many ways to go about getting an instrument in your hands!
Instrument Lending Libraries
Many areas are lucky enough to have a local lending library. This works just like borrowing a book, with the same pros and cons. For starters, it's free. Multi-week instrument borrowing is common, and this is a great way to provide equal access to instruments. However, the downside is that anyone can put a hold on the instrument and you might be left without if it's in demand. Lending libraries are best suited to you if you are unsure which instrument suits the music student in your family and want to try a few out before a financial commitment. See our local lending library link below.
Renting
A low-risk and low cost option is to rent your instrument from a local music store. This way, you can keep a more consistent and convenient practice schedule than borrowing from the lending library over a longer term. Another advantage of rental instruments is they can be either beginner instruments or finely-made professional instruments, but they are always in good working order. If not, you can usually just exchange it for a new one. There is more than one way to rent an instrument, so here is a quick breakdown of choices and when they work best for you. First, there are options to rent for a day, week, or monthly. By the time you have begun your lessons, you will want to take advantage of the cheaper monthly option of rentals. Daily and weekly rentals are more expensive over the long run, but you may be able to find a very expensive, beautiful instrument available for under $10 a day for your recital or performance that sounds and looks better than your practice instrument. Monthly rentals may still be expensive for your budget, and the main downside is that you only have your instrument as long as you keep paying into the program. That brings us to the final rental option: rent-to-own or arranging a buyout of your rental. If you've already put a good deal of time and money into a rental, some places will help you arrange the purchase of that rental taking into account the money you've already spent.
Buying
Learning to play an instrument is a skill that can bring you joy your whole life, and most well cared-for instruments can last even longer. Buying an instrument is an exciting experience, and there are lots of ways to find the perfect instrument for you. The first distinction to make in buying an instrument is whether to buy new or used. New instruments are usually more expensive relative to their quality, but often have a warranty for any defects, whereas used instruments cost less for a final sale. Financially, buying an instrument is a more substantial one time commitment, but most music stores offer financing options involving a down payment and monthly installments, which is similar to the rent-to-own model. Another thing to consider is that many instruments do not depreciate in value so long as they are well-maintained, so you always have the option of reselling it. Some instrument warranties are even transferable, which can raise the resale value as well. In addition to your lessons, owning an instrument teaches the music student responsibility for something finely crafted and finely tuned. Whichever option is most attractive to you, the most important thing is to make the most of your lessons by having access to an instrument throughout the week. You might surprise yourself with how fast you can grow. Links below. https://www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca/beyond-books/instruments/ https://fantasiemusic.com/instrument-rentals/ https://doctorpiano.ca/services/piano-rentals/ Long & McQuade RentalsJoyful Sounds Music Studio offers Kindermusik classes, Private Lessons, Choirs, Bands, and more!
