Clarinet Equipment Advice for Marching Band

Another school year is just around the corner, which can only mean one thing…

Marching band!

Whether this is your first time in marching band or you’re a seasoned marching band pro, here is my clarinet equipment advice for anyone in marching band (or band directors working with marching bands):

• Don’t use any clarinet equipment in marching band that you don’t want to lose or break. Marching band can be tough on equipment – combine the weather, playing outdoors, and large groups of musicians moving quickly (and not always carefully) during breaks, this can be a recipe for disaster for equipment.
• Use a plastic clarinet. Avoid playing a wooden clarinet outdoors, as this can cause cracking and other issues for these clarinets. Find a reliable plastic clarinet to dedicate as your marching clarinet.
• Use a backup mouthpiece, or find a dedicated marching mouthpiece. Again, don’t use your favorite mouthpiece during marching season, since the risk of breaking it is much higher than concert season.
• Consider synthetic reeds. Reeds are not a big fan of changes in temperature and humidity, which is why you might notice your cane reeds not lasting as long during marching season as they do during concert band when they’re played indoors. Synthetic reeds can be a great choice for marching band, as they’re readily playable in a variety of environments. (Learn more about the difference between cane and synthetic reeds.)
• Find a protective case or case cover. Protect your clarinet from rain, sleet, snow, and the elements with a quality case. (In a pinch, I’ve covered my marching clarinet case with a plastic shopping bag!)
• Don’t keep your clarinet in your car. Even if you’re using a plastic clarinet, it’s still not a good idea to keep it in your car between practices due to a higher likelihood of it being stolen. (Speaking of things you shouldn’t keep in your car, don’t leave cork grease in your car – take it from someone who did marching band in a very hot climate and had to clean up melted cork grease from my car…)
• Don’t neglect basic clarinet care. I’ve seen many marching band clarinetists treat their plastic clarinets much worse than their concert clarinets – not swabbing, keeping the reed on the mouthpiece when not in use, not washing your hands before playing, etc. Use the same level of care for your marching clarinet as you do for your concert clarinet to keep it playing well and looking great on the field!

Good luck, and I hope you have a great marching season!