Current Recommendations
I offer consultation on instrument purchase as part of your private lessons.
Students under 12 years old should consider a curved head joint flute. These are silver flutes with the mouth piece (head joint) curved to accommodate smaller arms and hands. This creates much less strain on younger bodies and avoids shoulder issues in the future. Jupiter has an excellent curved head flute right now.
Another great option to acquire an instrument like this is to rent. Since students will only need the curved head for a few years, renting an instrument may make more sense. Most instrument stores have at least one of these available to rent.
Many parents would like me to tell them exactly which brand to buy. I would love to be able to do this, but it always depends on the specific instrument. The one thing I can say is to avoid instruments online or that come from any store other than an instrument store. It is always possible to find something valuable in these places, but your chances of getting a dud are much higher. If you think you’ve found a great deal, I’m happy to help look at the instrument quality.
Beginning Instruments
For beginning instruments, common brands that generally have quality instruments are Yamaha, Eastman, Haynes, Trevor James, among others. It is possible to find good instruments from Gmeinhardt and Armstrong, etc.
Intermediate and Advanced Instruments
For intermediate and advanced instruments, it’s much more difficult to recommend a specific brand. There is a very large number of brands that fill this market. It is very important to try everything you possibly can. Every person is different, and every instrument, even within a certain brand, is different. This means that finding your soulmate instrument is possible! But, potentially can take a while to locate.
You should begin by first going out and playing lots of options! Be sure to try instruments that are below and above your budget level. This way you’ll know what difference there is between price levels and why they are so different. You may fall in love with an instrument that is well below your budget level, or if you end up loving one that’s above, you now know what you’ll need to save to get there.