subject: Deciding Whether To Rent, Buy Or Borrow An Instrument [print this page] Giving your child a chance to play an instrument may be one of the greatest gifts you can give them. As they play an instrument, they will be able to be a part of group, learn how to be in front of people without being scared and they will learn discipline.
If this is a last minute decision, it may be difficult to the instrument your child wants to play at a good price. When it comes to obtaining an instrument, you have three choices.
One choice is to borrow an instrument from a family member or family friend. This is obviously the best choice because the instrument will be free except for perhaps a few repair costs.
Then, if your child decides that he or she wants to play a different instrument or that he or she does not want to play at all, you can simply return the instrument to the original owner. This is convenient because it will not have to take up space in the closet as a sad reminder of the attempt to play it.
You will also not have to worry about how to get rid of it. However, it will have taken minimal costs to repair.
Even if your child decides not to use the instrument, the owner will appreciate the repair job. Borrowing an instrument is definitely the best option.
The second option is renting an instrument, and the third is of course buying an instrument. If borrowing the instrument is not possible, whether renting or buying an instrument is the better option depends on the circumstances.
If you know your child is committed to playing the instrument and will play it for several years, it is probably best and cheaper to purchase an instrument. This way your child will not have to get used to a new instrument every year when they re-rent an instrument from the school.
In addition, your child will have access to an instrument during the summer. When you rent an instrument from the school, it is only for the school year.
If you want to have access to the instrument during the summer as well, you will have to make special arrangements with the teacher. However, the summer is often when they repair the instruments and he or she may not let you use the instrument during the summer for this reason.
On the other hand, if you suspect that your child will lose interest in the instrument after the first year or two, or even a couple of months, you should definitely rent. It will be much cheaper for you as you will only have the instrument for a short time.
In addition, you will not have to sell the instrument to cover the costs of buying it. Likewise the instrument will not sit in the closet for long periods of time and slowing rust and fall apart without ever really being played.
Likewise, rental plans are often more flexible than purchase plans. Purchase plans usually have very strict warranties and short time periods in which you can return the instrument.
However, rental plans often have an extended period of time in which your child can decide to switch to a different instrument. These plans often do not have any fees or penalties for the change of mind.
They understand how renting to children works and they accommodate it. In addition, these stores will often repair the instrument for free under your contract.
This is very nice as young children tend to not understand how careful they have to be with their instrument. Wind instruments are particularly fragile.
Their many keys and mechanisms have to be arranged properly every day and the pads can often become old or damaged. If you live in a small town with no rental shops, you can even rent an instrument online and the company will ship it to you.
When there are problems with the instrument, you can ship it back to the company for repair. Renting from these companies may even be cheaper and it will save you the time you would normally have spent running around looking for a rental company.
However, while you are looking to rent, you should keep an eye out for a fantastic deal on purchasing the instrument. If the deal is great enough, then it may be a better idea to simply make the purchase.
Carefully making this decision is important whether your child decides to play the drums, flute, or piano. There are many options, but you will have to find the option that is best for you.
