The clarinet belongs to the woodwind family and was traditionally made from wood. Its sound is created by a thin cane reed, fixed securely to the mouthpiece, which vibrates when air is blown through it. Different notes are produced by covering various hole combinations, effectively lengthening or shortening the tube.

The word clarinet means “little trumpet”. It is widely used in woodwind ensembles, concert bands, symphony orchestras, big bands and jazz groups. Well-known performers include Benny Goodman and Richard Stoltzman, and many will instantly recognise the classic tune “Stranger on the Shore”, made famous by Acker Bilk.

Although a member of the woodwind family, modern flutes are mostly made from metal. The earliest flutes date back over 35,000 years making them one of the oldest instruments in the world. They have been made out of lots of different materials including wood, bone, ivory, silver and even gold.

The sound is produced by blowing across the hole in the head joint, similar to how you make a sound by blowing across the top of a bottle. The notes are changed by covering different combinations of holes which effectively make the pipe longer or shorter. Flutes are found in woodwind groups, concert bands and symphony orchestras, as well as big bands and jazz groups.

• Curved head flutes are very popular as they make a really beautiful, soft sound.
• They are easy to assemble and require almost no day-to-day care.
• Curved head flutes are light and easy to carry around.
• Curved head flute packages from our approved supplier include an additional straight headjoint, allowing the instrument to be used as a standard flute as your child grows. These packages also include both the Abracadabra tuition book and the Standard of Excellence book.
• Flute packages from our approved supplier are brand new.

• Alto Saxophones are very popular as they make a vibrant, rounded sound and look really cool.
• Alto Saxophones are easy to assemble and require little care.
• The hand positions are natural for beginners and similar to other reed instruments.
• All Alto Saxophones supplied by Normans are brand new.

The mini saxophone follows traditional saxophone fingering patterns and enables children to develop saxophone embouchure and playing skills at an early age. It has a surprising mellow sound and is a lot of fun to play even for an accomplished amateur sax player.

For beginners with small fingers there is a set of plugs (training wheels!) which can be used to help seal the tone holes in the early days of learning. The mini saxophone is lightweight, super-durable and is 100% waterproof. Colours may vary subject to stock availability.

• Trumpets are very popular as they make a vibrant sound and are very versatile. 
• Trumpets require no assembly and minimal maintenance.
• Trumpets are fairly light and easy to carry around.
• All trumpets from our approved supplier are brand new.

Cornets and trumpets are closely related brass instruments. Both are played by blowing into a mouthpiece and using valves to change notes. The cornet is more compact, which can make it a comfortable choice for smaller pupils.

Cornets have a warmer, more mellow sound than trumpets and are often used for melodic parts. Early cornets were made from wood, but modern instruments are usually made of brass.

There’s no need to move on to the trumpet as children grow, as the cornet is widely used in its own right in concert bands, military bands and especially brass bands, famously featured in the film Brassed Off.

• Recorders are often an introduction to music before moving onto one of the other instruments.
• Recorders require no assembly or maintenance.
• Recorders are very light and easy to carry around.
• All recorder packages from our approved supplier are brand new.