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A guide to help parents buy an entry level drum set As a music educator, well let’s call it like it is, a drum teacher, I get asked from time to time to help pick out a drum set for a student. If the student has been with me in good standing for a while, I might agree to take an afternoon and go shopping with the parents in order to help them get a decent deal and reasonable equipment. This article covers the typical scenario that plays out when I’m ask the question “Does my son/daughter need a drum set and can you recommend what to buy, if so?” The best first investment for a new student is a package like this: Minimal investment/Minimal volume/Minimal space in your house. Remember to by a pair of 7A sticks (for kids 9 and under) or 5A sticks (for students older then that). Next, immediately go to a “record shop” at the mall and get a “Big band CD”, a “tribute to the 70”, “tribute to the 80”, and “tribute to the 90s” CD. Parents probably have an old Beatles tape in the basement, so give your child that too! If you read to your child as an infant, and/or helped them learn how to walk, then listen to these discs with them each day for about 20 minutes. Did you every buy your infant those “Baby Einstein” CDs and sit and listen to them with your child in hopes that one day, you’d attend their Ivy League graduation? …well same thing (but substitute front row seats at Madison Square Garden to see their band one day.) The above package should cost about $100.00-$150.00. That is the cost of Guitar Hero by the way. The best second investment for a student who has kept and interest for a couple of months is a quality beginner’s drum set. SKIP ANYTHING FOUND AT THE NEXT LINK. It doesn’t sound good, has no resale value, and will not inspire your child. The reason people, I think, are attracted to these packages is that they many times include cymbals. Those are crap too! http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Dmi&field-keywords=beginners+drum+set&x=0&y=0 Instead, get them something that is considered beginner, but sturdy and reasonable sounding. This would include the beginner’s line of drums from Pearl, Tama, Gretch, Yamaha, Pacific. Here is just one example, a Pearl Export Series kit. NOTE: Cymbals (as seen in the picture are not included.) You will also want to buy a beginner cymbal pack like this. This package (drums and cymbals) will set you back about $1000.00. Often times large stores like Guitar Center will have holiday deals where you can save about 15 %. If your child becomes uninterested in a year or two, you can try and sell it online or donate it to a place like Rock for Kids, a charity that gets children playing music http://rockforkids.org/donate/donate.html . Remember it might be a tax deduction, but check with your accountant on that one. $1000 is a lot of money, but you are going to be spending $400-$500 on the less then quality stuff. You want them to be inspired by the sound they are hearing so please consider giving them a set that has a reasonable quality sound. Beware of yard sales too, for if you don’t know what you are buying, you may not get all the pieces. How much of a bummer is it to buy puzzle and find out it is missing the middle piece! I could expound for another five pages on what makes an entry level kid better then the el-cheapo ones, but I think you get my point!
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