It is important for the new musician to have a high quality, brand-name instrument right from the beginning. Renting allows families to provide a great instrument to their child without spending a lot of money up front. Also, not every child stays with the instrument they start with. Our rental program allows you to exchange or return with no penalties.

An exchange to another instrument that we rent is allowed at any time. We credit up to 6 months of your payments to the next instrument. If your child has played for 1-6 months, then your full equity gets credited to the second instrument. However, please keep in mind that the limit is six months. For example, if your child plays for eight months and then changes instruments, six months of equity gets transferred. Most students know fairly quickly if the instrument is the one for them or not.

You may return at any time by coming into Robert's Music or calling for instructions. Sometimes you just don't need our instrument any more. Maybe a family member lets you borrow one, or maybe your child is just not going to continue. Returning cancels your contract. From the date you return our instrument and forward, there is no further money due. If you were past due at the time of return, then of course you would have to catch up until the return date.

Repairs are done right here at Robert's Music. Our reps also visit many schools weekly to do on-site repairs and deliver supplies. Be sure to ask your teacher what day Robert's Music will be there. Maybe we can save you the trip! If you have R&R, there is no charge for the rental repair.

Repair & Replacement Program (R&R)

The optional Repair and Replacement is an insurance-like program that protects the instrument from damage, fire and theft. A small fee for this program is part of the monthly rental cost. You are able to decline the R&R, however many families elect to participate in the R&R program because of the "OOPS" factor that occurs when instruments are in the hands of kids, in a school, surrounded by other kids! Details are written in the contract, but just about everything except for accessories and blatant abuse of the instrument is covered.

All rental instruments come with a 30-day warranty. If something happens within this time, it will be fixed with no charge with or without R&R. After that, you will be charged for repairing or replacing the instrument unless you have the R&R coverage. Please note: if there is obvious abuse or misuse of the instrument the warranty will not apply.

All instruments come with cases and all of the accessories that are considered part of the complete "outfit". For brass instruments this means instrument, case, mouthpiece and valve or slide oil. Flutists get the flute, case and cleaning rod. Clarinet players get the instrument, mouthpiece, case, cork grease, a reed and cleaning swab. Saxophone players get the instrument, mouthpiece, case, cork grease, a reed and neck strap. Percussion players get the instrument, instrument stand, case, sticks and/or mallets, and drum pad or snare muffle. String players get the instrument, case, bow and rosin. All of our violins, violas and cellos have fine tuners on each string. If you have specific questions about an instrument not listed here, please call.

Band instruments are one-size-fits-all. Most students can stay with the instrument that is initially rented and continue to play that instrument into adulthood. Very accomplished players may opt to purchase a college or professional level instrument in the future. We can help with that if the need arises.

Orchestral stringed instruments need to be the right size for the individual player. The folks at Robert's Music or your music teacher can help determine what size to start with.  As the player grows, renters simply exchange the instrument for a larger size. Eventually, the instrument being rented will be adult-sized (4/4 or full size) and becomes a purchase option at that point. The rental money from consecutive rental sizes is credit toward the purchase of the adult sized instrument.  Very accomplished players may opt to purchase a college or professional level instrument in the future.

Rental Prices start at $20.00 per month ($16.36 plus tax and R&R) and vary by the type and newness of the instrument. The length of the contract is figured out by taking MSRP of the instrument and dividing by the monthly cost. The contracts range from 20 to 64 months and can be shortened by purchasing early at a discount or returning the instrument to end the contract.  When you rent, the first two months of rent or the entire amount for the school-year option will be collected.

Band Instruments - Monthly Price Shown includes principal, tax and R&R program
TYPE A  Flute, Clarinet, Trumpet, Trombone, Snare Drum Kit, Mallet Percussion (Bell Kit) and Combo Kit (Snare and Bell Kit combined) - $27.00 per month for new, $20.00 per month for used

TYPE B  Alto Sax and Baritone Horn  - $47.00 per month for new, $37.00 per month for used

TYPE C  Tenor Sax, Oboe, and Single French Horn - $57.00 per month for new, $47.00 per month for used

Orchestral Strings - Monthly and school-year prices include principal, tax and R&R program
Violin & Viola  $25.00 per month, $180.00 for the school year.  Cello  $45.00 per month, $295.00 for the school year.
The school year string rental choice is available between July 1 and October 31 and pays for use of the instrument until June 30 of the following year.  At that time, customers may return the instrument or renew the yearly contract. 

If you do not see the instrument you were hoping to rent, please call or email Robert's Music.  We do have limited quantities of double horns, lever harps, string basses, bass clarinets, etc. and will be happy to talk with you about these options.

Well...maybe. If you are one of our in-store customers, then you would usually need to come into our store to take advantage of all our services. If Robert's Music is the official vendor for your school, then we visit your school weekly to do repairs and make deliveries. In that case, we save you the trip.

We get this question a lot. Actually, we wish the cheap ones were good.  If they were, we'd buy them!! 

The problem is this:  The materials used in the making of "cheap" instruments is much softer and more fragile than those used by name brand manufacturers. Additionally, the quality control is usually not strong so often these items do not work well even when brand new and sometimes cannot be brought into tune with the rest of the ensemble.  There is a limit to how often, if at all, the instrument can be fixed because of the fragility of the brass or keywork.  The components provided with string instruments tend not to fit correctly and need to be adjusted or replaced in order for the instrument to function well.  The wood and finish most often used on the cheap string instruments is not a great quality and limits how good the instrument can sound. 

Learning to play an instrument is fun...but challenging.  It's not fair to ask a student to work around instrument issues. As one teacher puts it, "It's like learning to ride a bike with a loose chain and loose handlebars: not completely impossible, but much harder than it should be!" We suggest talking to your band or orchestra director for their input as well.

No appointment is necessary to rent an instrument or pick up one you rented with us online. Come in anytime during business hours and we will be happy to work with you.

The person who will be financially responsible for the instrument needs to complete the contract. We will collect the first two months of rent at this time which makes your next payment due in month three. Most teachers give students a list of supplies needed including method book, music stand, extra reeds, etc. These items are available for purchase at the time of rental. If coming into Robert's Music to fill out the contract, please be sure to bring ID and a credit card since both are required. If you do not have a credit card, or debit card with a Visa/MC logo, please contact us to ask about the option of an additional deposit.