My S24s flute is listed as a line item on our homeowners. For replacement value, the flute shop gave us a formal appraisal.
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Thank you, everyone! I appreciate you naming names.
For those using Clarion, is the policy in the name of your musician?
We have a policy for our son’s cello / bows; my spouse’s colleagues suggested we use Heritage Insurance Musical Instruments Division which is underwritten by Hartford Insurance. The website is http://www.musicins.com/ and for us it is about $300 a year for $30k coverage. Here is the blurb they sent us before we signed:
Coverage is WORLDWIDE for direct physical loss or damage due to theft, vandalism, breakage, collision, faulty workmanship while being serviced, mysterious disappearance, wind, water damage, change in temperature and humidity, fire, flood, and earthquake. We will also cover devaluation of an instrument as the result of breakage. Another important condition is if an instrument is stolen from an unattended automobile, we require some visible sign of forced entry into the vehicle for coverage. Coverage is excluded for normal wear and tear and maintenance, governmental actions/confiscation, contraband, illegal transportation or trade, gradual deterioration, latent defect of repair or manufacture, mold, wet or dry rot, rust or corrosion, insects, vermin or rodents.
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Oh and it is in our son’s name.
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Thank you! It is great to have two specialty companies to compare, and knowing ballpark cost is so helpful. I don’t know why we didn’t do this months ago before audition season, but maybe next year’s parents will be on top of it.
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We also use Heritage. We chose this one because they cover a wider range of circumstances, and will even reimburse if your sheet music collection is destroyed. The two things we wanted to make sure were in there were overseas coverage (my son is starting to travel for both performance and competitions now) and loaner instruments. The latter was after an incident where a loaner bow was damaged and we ended up having to purchase it.
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Again, thank you! I was stressing on my son’s first international tour two years ago, and I should have figured this out. Better late than never!
Editing to add: the loaner bow situation sounds awful!
With brass, our instruments are not nearly as spendy, but there is always the fear of being made to check them on a plane and the brass being crushed.
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We use Clarion for insurance. We have one policy that actually is enough to cover 2 of his guitars and his amp. He has more guitars but I only cared about the ones that he uses the most and takes outside of the house more.
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I honestly don’t know lol I think it actually might be in my name. I may reach out to them since it’s time to renew our policy anyways and see if I can have it in his name just in case.
I am so thankful for this thread! There are so many details that never occurred to me!
While we are on the topic of instruments, what are thoughts about when is the “right time” to purchase a college level instrument? Here is our situation:
Tenor trombone - his starter instrument is now his pep band instrument. At “step up” day in eighth grade we went with the middle of the line option presented by the local brass store. (At that point in time, none of us realized he would pursue music full-time.)
Bass trombone - currently has a loaner from his pre-college program.
Jazz trombone - bought a 1980s vintage/used one from the local horn store his freshman year.
He is currently finishing up sophomore year. He is all in on music education/music, and he has realigned his school curriculum/schedule and his extra curriculars with this focus. At this point, classical bass trombone is his favorite, followed by classical tenor trombone, followed by jazz. Although it’s possible that could change. He currently plays tenor trombone in his school orchestra, band and jazz band. He plays bass trombone in his pre-college orchestra, and he subs in as a bass trombone in another band and jazz band at his high school. He is currently working up the repertoire for college auditions on both tenor and bass classical trombone.
Is there any reason to wait until college or senior year to purchase? Is this the sort of thing where he could have a college professor that wants him to get a specific instrument?
Thanks again to everyone on this thread!
If you do it, do it before senior year auditions happen (meaning before prescreens too). If your child is anything like mine (and probably most in this group lol) they will want time to get used to their new instrument before submitting any very important audition videos. The ONLY thing I can think of where he’d be required a specific instrument is if say he did something like marching band and the entire band uses a specific color of brass instrument. Other than that I can’t imagine a professor insisting on a specific model. Now don’t be surprised if when he goes to college and he wants something different because someone else influenced him lol that does happen (for us that started after going to some of the college camps)
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Thanks, that’s a smart idea! Maybe a new instrument is also extra incentive to practice even more in the run up to prescreens.
It is our understanding that if he does music ed in a school with a marching band (e.g., Indiana or Northwestern) that he will need to march at least two years. We know nothing about marching band, as it doesn’t exist at his high school. We do know from pep band that you don’t bring an instrument into the stands if you can’t afford to have it accidentally knocked down the bleachers. So I’m hoping the marching band instrument is either loaned from the school or inexpensive.
The merit appeal we’ve been waiting on since 4/3 was just denied.
Meanwhile my son’s (very different) 2nd choice is sending him notes that say “whatever we can do for you.” It is cheaper by a significant amount per year, and for a time this audition season was neck and neck with my son’s first choice in his mind.
It’s hard as a parent to see your kid lock on to the one that’s not showing him the same kind of love. My son is invested in his first choice at this point. We all thought his appeal would be taken seriously, because he had some excellent achievements since his application, but clearly acceptance there is supposed to be the prize. It feels disrespectful to have this be their reply, this late, if that was always going to be the answer.
It feels late to continue playing the game. If anything else were going to happen, it would have to be us probably asking for a call today. But I’m feeling scrambled and maybe not savvy enough for that at the moment. Any veterans out there with wise counsel?
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My tenor trombone player used and auditioned on the trombone we purchased him in 8th grade when he started to get serious. By the time he got to college everyone said he does a great job of making a bad horn sound good, ha! When he chose his college he asked his current professor if he should get a new horn (he was anxious to get a new one). That professor encouraged him to wait and take the time to develop as a musician to see what type of horn would work best. What he had was what he was comfortable with to play on for all auditions and it didn’t hold him back. We ended up shopping for a new horn after his freshman college year, he was a completely different player, more of a mature musician to know exactly what he needed. It was a long process of visiting brass factories as well as brass stores to find the “perfect” one. All this to say I would wait, their playing develops tremendously even that first year. He would have gone with the shiniest and prettiest in high school but as a college musician he went for the best tone, feel and sound that he needed to be a professional.
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There is that saying about loving the school that loves you back or something to that effect. I say you a try a Hail Mary attempt on his top choice but be ready to jump to that 2nd choice that clearly does love him. And I’m sorry about the appeal, I know what it feels like to have an appeal completely denied. 
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Does he know who his private lesson teacher would be at each choice?
Ask his teacher, whoever is knowledgable about preparation for applying for college trombone and has done so many times, in his life. (if he doesn’t have that kind of teacher/person than finding that person is more important than a new instrument).
Most of us here probably know most about the specific instrument our DC plays. A poor violin can hugely limit progression and opportunities. I played trumpet when young and didn’t feel it was quite as intense an issue with brass, but, though I considered it, I did not pursue it a college.
Yes, one thing that can happen (in violin) is that you spend a lot of money on a violin and a new teacher dislikes it.
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At his second choice, it would be one person who is very willing to go to bat for him. At his first choice, it’s a team approach, though one is the (very successful) head of studio.
Sent you a pm
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We are in a very similar situation here, still waiting on appeals from both.
One school is better, more affordable, and more diverse all around with more opportunities (and possibly team teaching, though one professor may run his studio differently). The other has the #1 teacher choice who has been amazingly supportive since they first worked together at a summer program years ago, but much more expensive and more ‘focused’ curriculum as it’s a conservatory
I can totally relate to the stress of this process…
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