For this month, I thought I'd address a question I was recently asked. How do you prevent damage to instruments? Since this is the start of a new school year, this might be a good time to mention some of these things to your students to help make sure their instruments keep working.
One thing that students assume is that the case will protect the instrument. Unfortunately, that is not as true as we would like. Too often, I see students using cases (with instruments inside) as stools, chairs, hockey pucks, balls, weapons, etc. Plenty of damage can still occur to the instrument even in the case, as I've found out first hand several times for myself. Things can get bent and thrown out of alignment that will make the instrument difficult to play.
Another thing that quite a few saxophone players and some clarinet players do is cram extra stuff, like books and music, into their cases because they don't want to carry it separately. The problem with this is that it puts extra pressure on the rods and can cause them to bend. When they bend, it pulls the pads off of the tone holes and creates leaks.
I know most of you try to teach your students to keep their instruments clean, but this is something that they don't do so well. The most important thing to keep the instrument functioning properly is to get the moisture out of it after playing. Condensation can gather inside , especially in saxes, and then settle into the pads after it is put back in the case. This causes the pads to warp and not seal properly. I recommend a good quality silk swab. They are a little more expensive, but will quickly pay for themselves when put through the instrument after each use.
