---------------------------------------------------------------- But anyways Vandoren Blue Box use better quality cane and have a better heart and make tone quality better and lower notes easier to play. ------------------------------------------------------------------ 1) A rank beginner is at least a couple years away from being ready for any sort of "tone quest" 2) Not everyone shares the same opinion about a certain brand or type of reed, or mouthpiece, or horn for that matter. For instance, I think the BlueBox Vandorens are mediocre, inconsistant, unecessarily stuffy, and sound inferior to Hemkes or Classiques. I think it's important for experienced players to not try to give our brand preferences out as matter-of-fact recommendations. Realizing that, there is no harm in a rank beginner trying a couple different reed types and strengths to see what works best for them, but under teacher guidance.

Re: Mouthpiece. If your daughter isn't having trouble with the mouthpiece she has, I would suggest sticking with it for now. If the mouthpiece is junk, that will become apparent, by causing her trouble. Some of us on this forum are wayyyyyyy too snobby about what works and what doesn't. Ask a technician (repairman or woman) to play the horn with the current mouthpiece, and let you know if it's comparable to what he or she is used to. Re: Reeds Again, go with what works. Buy two or three reeds of different brands, and have her pay attention to what she is using. She will know what works best. As she continues, she may find that what works now no longer is best. Every brand has some duds. I've used Rico, LaVoz, Vandoren, and Hemke. I personally don't notice that much difference, and I've been playing for over 30 years. Of course, I no longer play more than an hour at a stretch, so there may be something there. Your daughter's just begun. Let her develop. It might be wise to investigate a dedicated saxophone instructor if she sticks with it. Sounds like the director might not be your best resource. It would have been better if he had said, "I don't know. Let me look into it," rather than responding with the Walmart comment. Sheesh!

--------------------------------------------------------------- Some of us on this forum are wayyyyyyy too snobby about what works and what doesn't. --------------------------------------------------------------- indeed.

When I first got a saxophone (Conn alto), my parents put an alarm clock next to the music stand and screamed at me if they didn’t hear playing for the full hour. My older brother added humiliation. This went on for about three years until they finally gave up, at which point I started playing along with AM radio (in the 1960s: Motown, etc.). Made for memorable childhood. Don’t be a stage mother. True sax players are nutty, kinda wacky. The sax section is always joking around, causing trouble. This is normal. Get a couple of sax kids together and it’s a rehearsal/ comedy routine (ESPECIALLY altos; tenors never practice). Allow friends to practice together but stay out of it. Don’t be a “saxophone mommy” or you’ll ruin it. IMHO

I remember an old black-and-white World War II movie about a traveling orchestra in Europe. An American sergeant behind enemy lines gets separated from his troops. At night he sees a few trucks traveling along a deserted road and he manages to crawl underneath one and situate himself in the undercarriage, and lets the convoy take him out of the area undetected. However, this truck carried the musical instruments to a traveling orchestra -- the musicians were in the other trucks -- and the traveling orchestra pulls into a compound of some sort. It turns out the musicians were going to perform for the local Nazi Wermacht commanders. The musicians find the guy and realize they will all be blamed if the American sergeant is discovered. Somewhat luckily, the sergeant played the trombone in high school, so the musicians gave him a trombone and made him last chair in the orchestra. Of course, the local Gauleiter (Nazi party official) or the military commander reviewed the orchestra before the performance. And he spotted the young musician playing trombone with a bunch of older and well-seasoned professionals. The commander says, "Hmmm. You ah very junge to be in zees orchestraa. Play ze horn!" So, slowly and dramatically, the young sergeant stands up, puts the trombone to his lips, and remembering high school band, plays the Star-Spangled Banner! Dramatic scene. But that's Hollywood. Here's what really happened: The musicians discover the sergeant and learned that he was not in the high school band, didn't do anything in high school, and is pretty much tone deaf. So they gave him a tenor saxophone. Fast-forward: the Nazi commander says, "Play ze horn!" Slowly and dramatically the young sergeant stands up, puts the horn in his mouth, and starts honking and squeaking. The commander says, "Agggh. Mine brother is ze same vay."

Hi new sax mom, It sounds like you have gotten your daughter off to a good start. The Conn 24M is a good sax and will take care of her through highschool. They have a nice, even tone, good intonation, and they are easy to play. As for practice, the best advice I can give to encourage her is just to be enthusiastic and let her know what sounds good. I agree that private lessons are a great idea. A professional instructor can help her to learn the basic techniques and give her the one on one attention that she wouldn't get in band. Best of luck, Jim