[Michlib-l] Music Library of Things

Tue Jul 18 21:33:45 EDT 2023

I love Abigail’s response and would like to add (without hopefully seeming
too serious and hopefully not grossing too many people out) … especially if
you don’t have an experience or knowledge of instruments…

that wind instruments have pads on the keys that break down after a lot of
use: (sax, clarinet, bassoon, flute, oboe, and any bass version of these).
I used to play the flute and everything on the flute is metal except for
the pads on the keys. They eventually have to be replaced from wear and
tear. Just something to consider.

Flutes are the only wind instruments that don’t require a reed, to my
knowledge. And there are different kinds of flutes as there are wind
instruments: you can get a student/standard flute in the key of C that is
shorter than the professional ones used in symphonies, and with closed
keys; The professional B flat flute has a longer foot with an extra key and
then there are flutes with open keys that come with plugs.

Some Clarinet bodies have wood in them and depending on where and how they
are used could affect the integrity of the instrument. But I think they
make student clarinets with plastic or some kind of composite.

Oboes and bassoons take a different reed from clarinets and saxophones: the
double reed.

Some instruments may need a mute to go home with them: brass

Also, many instrument cases are made of cloth, and if patrons do not clean
the instruments directly after using and stick the instruments back into a
cloth case, it’s likely they could collect/spread any spit and anything
else the cases and instruments are exposed to at the locale of use. And if
the library is keeping cleaning materials in the case, those materials will
need to be cleaned after every use as well.

Speaking as a student musician…. And this is very gross, but I rarely
cleaned my instrument cleaning materials. In hindsight, I would “now.”
Those fiber cleaning rods can get really gross. So can the keys on my
flute.

Other things to be aware of: some of classmates broke the intricate rods
that hold and manipulate the keys. AND if someone is too rough assembling
or disassembling the instruments, the connectors can get warped and become
hard to twist together. Cheaper student metal instruments can degrade the
finish over time: my student flute that I marched with had several areas
where my palms and hands touched the metal and rubbed it raw.

If you’re serious about lending instruments, you may also want to consider
including in the kit: a tuner, a metronome, and a collapsible, folding
stand.

Just some things to consider.

On Tue, Jul 18, 2023 at 5:00 PM Abigail Vervaras via Michlib-l <
michlib-l at mcls.org> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I won't be much help with advice on how a library shares these instruments
> but, I can give some advice based on the fact that I was in a band ensemble
> for 8 years as a clarinet player.
>
> 1.) You can sanitize instruments but depending on the instrument, it can
> be a lengthy process. I would recommend buying additional mouthpieces for
> the wind instruments so you can always have a clean one available. When you
> play a wind instrument your spit can travel through the whole body of the
> instrument. Because of this cleaning a trumpet, for example, would be less
> time consuming to clean than a clarinet or flute because of the amount of
> keys that you would want to clean around. They have different cleaning
> products & brushes for each type of instrument based on the material the
> instrument is made of and you can find all of those usually online or at a
> music supply store.
>
> 2.) Reeds come in different levels of softness regarding the wood. So the
> reed you choose would depend on the experience of the musician. If you are
> a more experienced musician you would have a firmer wood for your reed
> versus a musician new to the instrument would want a softer wood, as it is
> easier to move air past the softer wood. You also cannot play a reed
> instrument with a dry reed. We were taught to hold the reed in our mouth to
> soften it with your saliva. Reeds can last for a good amount of time based
> on how you treat it and how often you play. You do not need a new reed
> everytime you play.
>
> Based on the knowledge I have on wind instruments you could go about it in
> a couple different ways:
>
> -You could have patrons purchase their own reeds or you could keep a
> variety of reeds that they can use but they would then keep their reed for
> a while and bring it in with them when they want to play an instrument.
> -You can purchase separate pieces for instruments. If you are worried
> about patrons sharing a mouthpiece despite being sanitized you could have
> patrons bring in their own mouth pieces and then you only have to worry
> about sanitizing the body of the instrument between patron use.
>
> I think it is do-able to share instruments between patrons but it also
> depends on how much time or money you would want to dedicate to the care
> and keeping of the instruments. I hope any of this is of help to you and
> feel free to reach out if you have any other questions and I'll do my best
> to answer based on my knowledge. Good luck!
>
>
> On Mon, Jul 17, 2023 at 1:37 PM BillieJo Bluemer via Michlib-l <
> michlib-l at mcls.org> wrote:
>
>> If your library includes musical instruments, not just ukulele, but
>> flute, trumpet, and more as part of your Library of Things could you share
>> some information? We will be receiving a donation of assorted instruments
>> from a family in memory of a long term board trustee.
>>
>>
>>
>> We have concerns and questions about safely checking out these
>> instruments especially woodwind/brass.
>>
>>    1. How do you keep the instruments clean/sanitized? Is it even
>>    possible?
>>    2. If the instruments require a ‘reed’ to be played, do you provide
>>    it or have the patron get that on their own?
>>    3. Do you even think it’s possible to have a “library of things” that
>>    includes instruments?
>>
>>
>>
>> At this time, we’re thinking of just accepting percussion/string
>> instruments. Any advice and guidance is appreciated.
>>
>>
>>
>> *BillieJo Bluemer*
>>
>> Director
>>
>> *Rauchholz Memorial Library*
>>
>> *1140 N Hemlock Rd
>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/1140+N+Hemlock+Rd+Hemlock+MI+48626?entry=gmail&source=g>*
>>
>> *Hemlock MI 48626
>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/1140+N+Hemlock+Rd+Hemlock+MI+48626?entry=gmail&source=g>*
>>
>> *989-642-8621*
>>
>> [image: smalllogo]
>>
>>
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-- 
Katie Rothley, MLIS
Marketing & Public Relations Librarian
Northville District Library
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Northville, MI 48167
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