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RENTING TO OWN

WHY IT IS COST EFFECTIVE IN THE LONG TERM

Your child has come home with a letter addressed to you asking if you would be interested in signing your child up for band.  Many thoughts may come to mind:

 

“What a commitment, can my child stay interested in band for more than 1 year?”

 

“What are they going to play?  What would they be good at?”

 

“How can we afford to buy an instrument right now?  There are so many other things we need right now.”

 

“Surely the school has extra instruments my child can use!”

 

And many more thoughts can come to mind! How do you know you are providing your child their best chance in joining the band with the best materials possible?  Let’s discuss the options you and your child have when selecting an instrument.

Finding An Instrument At Home/Grandma's/Aunties/ .....

There is nothing better than knowing someone in your family has a free instrument for your child to use!  Talk about saving yourself trouble and time!  There are somethings to consider though, when opting to use a instrument that’s been in the family: 

 

  • How long has it been in the family?

 

This is very important.  If it was Cousin Jesse’s from 6th grade Band and Cousin Jesse is in 8th grade but no longer in band- it should be in pretty good shape.  However, if it was Aunt Erma’s from when she was in High School, 15 years ago, it could have a number of problems.  When condensation sits in an instrument for years, it wear away at the instrument itself, developing holes or creating crevices and cracks. This has also been known to cause mildewing inside of the instrument.

 

Most of the time, condensation is mixed with food particles and germs that came from the mouth of the previous player.  This can cause mold growth inside and on the instrument.  Not only can that mold be toxic if someone is exposed to it without the proper safety equipment, it can ruin the instrument beyond repair.  Repairing a moldy instrument can be very expensive because it has to be chemically cleaned and then repaired, which can be costly.

 

If it was cleaned before it was put away but it was damaged or if it was stored in less than ideal conditions, the instrument may have costly problems.  Just like if we let a household problem go for a long time, and it gets worse and worse over time, instruments can do the same, right inside the case!

 

Depending on where it is stored, it can get caterpillar and moth infestations in the pads or the velvet of the case, mildew from temperature changes and where and how it was stored, cracks and breaks from extreme temperature changes due to where and how it was stored, missing parts that have fallen out/off or were left at school, the keys or slides can “freeze” so that they cannot be moved without a repair person's help, and instruments can rust. These are but a few things that can happen when instruments are stored for a long time.

 

  • Has the instrument been paid off?

 

Sometimes people forget to pay their bills or something horrible happens, and the bill is forgotten.  This happens to to the best of us, and can happen with instrumental rentals.  We are all human and things happen. Most companies are not going to track down what they deem "cheaper instruments,"and demand that they are returned once the bill is past due.  They do however, keep long lists of what they call delinquent instruments- ones that were never fully paid for.  Sometimes, family unknowingly gives these instruments to other family members to use, and they forget that the instrument isn’t lawfully theirs.  Again, this happens, no judgement, we all forget! Then one day, the instrument is damaged.  The family that is borrowing it, doesn’t see anything wrong with getting it repaired, so they go take it to be repaired or give it to the director to be sent out for repairs.  Then, the family discovers they cannot get the instrument back, because it was reported as delinquent and it’s been confiscated by the original company.  That’s it.  It's gone.  There is nothing any of us can do to get it back, and we might not have a school instrument handy to use until something is figured out. This puts everyone in a tough spot. This is not how we want things to go! 

Borrowing From The County
(Red Springs Middle School alotted instruments)

Borrowing from the school can be a great option, though the instruments are not actually school owned.  The Robeson County Arts Department pays for all classroom instruments out of state allotted funds.  These funds pay for the instrument itself, these funds do not pay for the creams and oils needed to make them move, or for the reeds and sometimes mouthpieces needed to make them play.  The funding is very specific- instruments only- are to be purchased with this money.  To make things fair, the Robeson County Arts Department divides up the funding based on band size and school size.  We are a small school so we receive less funding than say Prospect Middle School (due to total enrollment in band(s)).  We only receive this funding every two years, the other years, we do with what instruments we have, no matter how old they are.  So again, you have to ask:

 

  • How old is the instrument?

 

All of our band instruments are checked out through a contract process.  We have contracts dating back 20 years or more, some contracts stating the instruments came from all over the County (originally).  Yes, the instruments are old and they work, but they work only as well as an instrument can that is 20+ years old and has been handled by hundreds of 10- 13 year olds.  Not everything works perfectly, some of the buttons do not cover the holes properly, the bells on the brass are dented, the clarinets need new pads… and the instrument sounds frankly, no where near as good as if you bought one yourself (used even) from a reputable music store.

 

  • What exactly am I liable for, when borrowing an instrument?

 

Another excellent question! Our County Contract states:

 

"The instrument remains property of the Public Schools of Robeson County. The instrument will be issued in good playing condition or the school will pay for its repair. The school will also pay for any normal maintenance required during the contract period (corks, pads, stuck tuning slides, etc.). The borrower will pay for any damage to the instrument produced by negligence or abuse. The instrument will be returned at any time upon request of the director or school administrator. If the instrument is lost, destroyed or stolen during the period borrowed, the borrower will compensate the school for the loss, at replacement value.  After use of the instrument, the student will return the instrument in “good playing condition”, which is the way the student received the instrument. If the instrument is not in “good playing condition,” the student will take the instrument to the repair shop to put the instrument back into “good playing condition” before return to the school director or school administrator."

    

"The purchase of reeds, cork grease, valve oil, rosin, mallets, ligatures, mouthpieces, and other consumable items will be the responsibility of the borrower."
 

As a Parent or Guardian it is your job to ensure that your child keeps the instrument in good playing condition.  The contract does not state that, “kids will be kids,” and that as a school system we must allow for damages. These instruments are lent out because they are either too expensive to purchase normally (tens of thousands of dollars, instruments like bassoons and tubas), or the family is in need.  Even though the above are true reflections of who may borrow instruments, both types of borrowers must keep in mind they signed a contract and they are legally responsible for the condition of the instrument during and at time of contractual use until officially returned.

 

If an instrument is damaged, and it cannot be repaired for a small fee, if is totaled or ruined beyond repair, parents must replace the entire instrument at original cost.  It does not matter if the instrument is worth $500 when your child used it, to replace the instrument as stated in the contract, parents are responsible for paying the original $885.  That is what you must pay to replace it. Until the instrument is paid for, your student will not be allowed to graduate from High School.  This fine will follow them from school to school.  However, we are very happy to work with parents and give them time to pay off the damaged instrument.

 

Also, please keep in mind that we have a limited number of instruments available at our school, and we may not have the kind of instrument your child wants to play for free.  Directors have had to turn away students every year because they simply cannot keep up with the demand.  At RSMS we hope that we can continue to offer as many instruments as we can to deserving students.  Unfortunately, we only have what we have here at our school available. Please keep this also in mind when you think of borrowing from our school.

 

 

Renting to Own

Renting to own is less scary than it sounds.  It is actually a beautiful concept.  Your child comes with you to an instrument night here at Red Springs Middle School.  Here, they speak with both directors and a Licensed Music and Arts School Representative who can offer you many excellent options:

 

  • You can choose to rent to own a variety of instruments, new or used (refurbished).

 

Music and Arts offers instruments in many different brands, all of good quality, and even have used refurbished instruments to consider.  All instruments are rent to own, and all are in good condition.  Used instruments will not be warped or faded, scuffed and tarnished.  Many of them look brand new in fact, most have only been played for a few months and then returned.  Most rentals new or old are set up on a 2 to 3 year repayment plan at around $25 a month.  It is auto debited around the beginning of each month (even during the summer) until it is paid off. Used instruments aren't a bad thing, when they come from a music dealer such as Music and Arts. Schools will sometimes outright purchase these refurbished instruments for their bands, and trust me, directors want instruments that will last decades.  We wouldn’t purchase junk, so trust me when we say, the refurbished instruments are of very good quality.

 

  • Middle School children are lovely... but they break things... a lot!

 

Music and Arts offers a $5 insurance plan that will pay for any damages to the instrument while your child is renting.  No matter what happens to it, if they can fix it and you are up to date on your payments, they will repair it, for $5 a month.  To let you know the typical prices of repairs, a new re-pad job (the pads that go over the keys) for a Clarinet is over $200, a dented slide can be anywhere from $50 to $100, A dented bell can have the dent pounded out for $50… It can be expensive to repair an instrument.  While your child is learning to take care of it, having this plan to catch it if it falls, is very nice!

 

  • What if my child loses the instrument or it is stolen while we are renting?

 

Music and Arts offers all renters who have insurance, a replacement policy included in the repair policy.  If your child leaves their instrument on the bus and it gets stolen (Parents will have to file an official Police Report), if the instrument is in an accident and topples into a river… Okay, maybe that would never happen, but for that same $5 a month, your child’s instrument can be completely replaced if you are still renting and you have signed up for this insurance. Having that insurance, is a wonderful peace of mind.  As parents ourselves, we know!

 

  • What if I want to pay off the full price of the instrument early, is there a fee for doing that?

 

We know what you are thinking, a lot of companies nowadays will charge you a fee for ending a contract early.  In the case of renting with Music and Arts, they give you a 30% discount off the remainder of what you owe on the instrument if you pay it off early. There is no interest, no early opt out fee.  We warn you though, once the instrument is paid for, the insurance plan no longer attached to your child's instrument.  We have been told though, you may buy a separate insurance policy for the instrument through Music and Arts, but it will cost more than $5 a month!  Our advice is, be sure your child truly knows how to care for their instrument before fully purchasing the instrument!

 

  • We’ve been renting for a month and my child doesn’t like the instrument we have, they want to switch to another.  Does this mean I have to start over with my rental contract and payments?

 

We have seen this a million times, a child just has to play the flute (and all summer you hear about how amazing it is!) and two weeks into Band class, they come home and tell you they want to play the clarinet.  This isn’t an issue while you are renting, and if the instrument is not a saxophone or a drum kit, your payments will stay the same and transfer over to the new instrument!  No need to start over and go through that entire payment process and loose your money. (If you are renting a saxophone or drum kit the payments are larger and they change accordingly when you switch to these instruments.  At the same time, if you switch from saxophone or drum kit, to one of the other instruments, the payments will reduce to match the monthly payments of the new instrument you switch your child to.) You can start renting in any grade as well, so if your child had a school instrument and you are interested in owning an instrument for high school, you can set up the plan here and it will follow them to the high school!

 

There is one more scenario we must mention.  It has happened in both of our band classes a couple of times.  We do our best to prevent this but, as we've said, it still happens.  Sometimes Band just isn’t what you or your student thought it would be.  Maybe you cannot afford to make any more payments.  Maybe they absolutely hate the class, or the teachers for that matter.  Music and Arts will allow you to return the instrument without any early returning fees.  Yes you will lose the money that you have already paid on the instrument so far, but you will not have to pay off the instrument or any contractual fees for not completing the payment contract.

RENTING IS AN EXCELLENT CHOICE

We truly believe renting to own is the best choice for a number of reasons: It is cost effective (especially when it comes to repairs and loss or theft of the instrument, it is covered in a nicely priced addition to the rental plan all together just $5!), your students can rent to own a new instrument or a refurbished one, they can switch the instrument as many times as they want trying to find the perfect one for them (but please let us know first!), and you know it's a quality instrument and that it has no problems or surprises from the very start. 

 

Yes, of course you are completely welcome to opt for the other choices, but please remember in both examples instrument types are limited, and you get what you pay for in many cases (unless it’s cousin Jesse’s paid off instrument that he stored in a temperature controlled closet inside his parent’s home for only 2 years.  Then you are probably safe!).  Please keep renting in mind when your child is ready for their own instrument or joining band!

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