ok, so ive been here for a while. im not an idiot. but my boyfriend just got a job as a band director starting next school year. i guess the schools contract with the music shop they buy all their instruments from also expires when he comes in (and from what i can gather, this company has been ripping the school off for years and they dont want to go back with them or something). and the products theyve been buying havent exactly been top quality either. so hes been stressing out coming up with a revamped program. hes already configured the brass program (the first thing he did because hes a brass player) and now wants my help with the flutes. what do you think would be the best option for new students? im not very familiar with student flutes. my first flute was a 1950s Armstrong. i also know that theres much better than gemeinhardt. and it must be economical!!!

please dont say "you can find nice used yamahas..." because that helps me in no way. these must be new flutes!!!!!!!!!!! im looking for an overall quality.

thanks!

I think your best bet would be Jupiter, Emerson is OK also.

I agree completely with Kara. If Yamaha is out of budget, Jupiter and Emerson are decent alternatives.

My vote still goes to Yamaha as their 200 series is fairly good and you can get deals on them from a lot of sources and shops, especially if we're talking rentals.

If the school is in a moderately wealthy area, having the students rent from a local shop might be a better option in the end, as it would save the school a lot of money. But I don't know how well this would sit - some parents get all !***!y over the mere pennies they pay for state subsidized education and don't feel that they should fork over a few dollars a month.(shakes head)

P.S. I send my son to private school for about 9K a year. Public schools wold cost me virtually nothing by comparison, so I just don't get it sometimes how parents expect perfection for nothing out of their pockets.


Another option might be to buy a bunch of like-new condition used models from a reputable retailer if the school wants to own them. The things won't be new or hardly close to it anyways after the first semester, but some models can be had for 1/2 or 1/3 of their new price this way. $300-$350 for a used Yamaha 200 for instance is a steal. Yes, that's what they generally go for.

The trick of course is finding a good business to buy from that also has enough quantity.

I certainly have never known the school to supply the flutes! Lower brass, lower woodwinds/reeds etc, but never flutes, clarinets, trumpets etc.
Even the little performing arts elementary school I work at (in a low socio-economic area) does not supply the violins that the 4th-6th graders are required to take.

Don't forget Pearl flutes. The beginner line is really quite good (as are their handmade professional models). I use my old Pearl 501 as my outdoor backup flute and it works great!

I have to agree with Alieannie on this one, while I have seen some good Gemmies, most of my students who play on them seem to struggle in comparison to those who play on Jupiters, Yamahas and Pearls...