I generally believe that most parents will find the amount of available instruments to be overwhelming. You will find an amazing amount of instruments available on eBay that say things like "teacher approved" but I have found that these are the very instruments you should avoid. In the end, the safest course of action is to deal with your local band and orchestra music store that comes to the school. Will you necessarily get the greatest price - no. What you will get is some value added benefits such as knowledgeable advice, local repair services, and a quality student instrument. The Internet is filled with various people saying that xyz horn is great for students but as a parent who probably doesn't play a woodwind instrument (or hasn't played one in 20 or 30 years) the best bet is to deal with a local source.
If you search around our community you will find a number of opinions on what professional level horns represent good buys.
I've written an article that goes into further depth on the subect: http://woodwindforum.com/plugins/conten ... content.17
Pete Hales has also written a nice article with some practical advice at: http://www.thesax.info/mediawiki-1.10.0 ... _beginners
If you search around our community you will find a number of opinions on what professional level horns represent good buys.
I've written an article that goes into further depth on the subect: http://woodwindforum.com/plugins/conten ... content.17
Pete Hales has also written a nice article with some practical advice at: http://www.thesax.info/mediawiki-1.10.0 ... _beginners