<p>My 10th grade daughter is away with her beloved Bach Strad, so I’ll jump in for her. We had her rent for about the first 3 years, until her playing was handicapped by the student trumpet. I can’t emphasize enough how banged up these instruments get in school bands, so the longer you can rent the better. Her wonderful teacher took us to Rayburn’s our local music store then had her chose from the trumpets he thought had the best tone, valves, etc. My daughter and I would have been clueless otherwise. He also was able to negotiate price a bit since he knows the staff through years of teaching in the area.
High school became a challenge, my daughter has to walk 1.5 miles with heavy backpack and trumpet through snow, rain and sleet. We bit the bullet this spring and again with teacher’s assistance got her a Getzen 700S to leave at school. It’s a nice trumpet, has a good sound, but the Bach has the gorgeous tone she wants for her out of school, more intense classical ensembles. Again, her teacher was able to get a nice price for the Getzen, was under $650.<br>
If you are thinking of private lessons, perhaps you can hold off until a teacher can help.</p>