Trumpet/Cornet

Always hold this instrument by the valve casings, not by the bell or slides. Never put in a position where excess pressure may be placed on valve casings, bell, slides or mouthpiece. Before playing, apply a few drops of valve oil directly onto each piston. Repeat this each time before you begin a session. This will reduce friction, corrosion and create an air tight seal for better performance.
Insert mouthpiece gently! Do not "pop" in with your hand or put excess pressure on mouthpiece. Simply twist gently into place.
Keep you instrument clean! Never chew gum, eat or drink immediately before or during sessions. Sugar, food particles and other foreign objects may become difficult to dislodge resulting in poor performance and permanent damage to instrument. Clean your horn on a weekly basis. Use a "snake" for the inside of the horn, and clean your mouthpiece with warm (never hot) water, mild soap and a mouthpiece brush. Do not use polish to clean your horn. Commercial cleaners may damage the lacquer finish causing corrosion to exposed metal parts. Use only lacquer approved cleaning cloths. After playing, wipe instrument down with lacquer cloth and place gently into case.
Do not stuff books/music or any other foreign materials into your case. This is a major cause of instrument damage!

Be very careful when putting this instrument together! Maintaining proper adjustment of the keys are necessary for optimum performance. Pick up your flute by the "body", not by the keys or rods. Gently twist the joints into place, never force or ram into place. Do not let the pads get wet! Failure to keep the pads moisture free will result in warping causing instrument to "leak" air. This will lead to poor playability and high repair costs.
Keep your instrument clean! Do not chew gum, eat or drink immediately before a session. Food particles, sugar and other foreign objects may become difficult to dislodge, resulting in poor performance and permanent damage to instrument. use a swab after each session to remove moisture from inside your flute/piccolo. A dry cloth designed for silver finishes should be used often to remove smudges and hand oils.
Do not stuff books/music or any other foreign materials into your case. This is a major cause of instrument damage!

Important Notice! Before you assemble this instrument for the first time...
Make sure each corked joint is properly lubricated. Using "cork grease" only, apply a small amount to each cork and work in thoroughly with fingers. Corks must be kept moist to insure proper instrument performance and prevent damage. Check corks on a weekly basis and re-apply cork grease as needed.
Gently twist sections together as you push. Never tap into place. Do not let pads get wet! Failure to keep pads moisture free will promote warping and cause instrument to leak air resulting in poor performance and high repair costs.
Keep instruments clean! Do not chew gum, eat or drink immediately before a session. Food particles, sugar and other foreign particles may become difficult to dislodge, resulting in poor performance and permanent damage to instrument. Clean mouthpiece often using warm (never hot) water, mild soap and a woodwind mouthpiece brush.
Use a swab after every session to remove moisture from inside clarinet. Never use polish or alcohol as a cleaner. A clean dry untreated cloth works best for the exterior of you instrument. NOTE: Wooden clarinets should be cleaned with bore oil to keep wood from cracking.
Most student model clarinets are made from a composite/plastic material. Do not leave clarinet in warm/hot car, garage or where it may contact excessive heat or direct sunlight. Heat will warp the plastic and result in a permanently damaged instrument.
Do not stuff books/music or any other foreign material in your case. This is a major cause of instrument damage!

Important Notice! Before you assemble this instrument for the first time...
Make sure the cork (located on the "goose neck") is properly lubricated before you attempt to install mouthpiece. Simply apply a small amount of "cork grease" directly on the cork and work in thoroughly with your fingers. Check cork on a weekly basis, re-apply cork grease as needed.
Do not let pads get wet! Failure to keep pads moisture free will promote warping causing instrument to "leak air", resulting in poor performance and high repair costs.
Keep Instrument clean! Do not chew gum, eat or drink immediately before a session. Food particles, sugar, and other foreign objects may become difficult to dislodge resulting in poor performance and permanent damage to the instrument. Clean mouthpiece often using warm (never hot) water, mild soap and a woodwind mouthpiece cleaning brush. Use a swab after each session to remove moisture from inside the saxophone. Never use polishes or alcohol as a cleaner. Use only lacquer approved cleaning cloths to remove smudges and finger oils from the exterior of your horn.
Be extremely careful  not to bump or lean your saxophone against the rods/spring mechanisms. These rods are very fragile and can easily be bumped out of alignment. Always attach saxophone securely to your neck strap before playing.
Never stuff books/music or any other foreign materials in case. This is a major cause of instrument damage!

Be careful not to bump, bend, or put excess pressure on the "slide" sections of this instrument! Failure to keep slide properly aligned will cause slide to stick and leak air resulting in poor performance and high repair costs. Always keep slide well lubricated. Use a quality trombone slide cream only! Never use oils or creams not specifically designed for the trombone.
Keep your instrument clean! Do not chew gum, eat or drink immediately before a session. Food particles, sugar and other foreign material may become difficult to dislodge, resulting in permanent instrument damage. Never use alcohol or other household cleaners on your horn. These will damage the lacquer finish and corrode the bare metal. Use only lacquer approved cleaning cloths to remove smudges and hand oils from your instrument.
Clean mouthpiece often. Use warm (never hot) water, mild soap and a mouthpiece brush to keep your mouthpiece sanitary.
Never stuff books/music or any other foreign material in your case. This is a major cause of instrument damage!

Attention String Players...  Heat Kills!
Never leave your instrument in a warm/hot car, garage or direct sunlight. Doing so will warp top/back/sides, loosen glue joints and result in a permanently damaged instrument.
Keep your instrument clean! Remove rosin dust from top of instrument after each use. Never use alcohol or furniture oils to polish your violin. Use only violin/guitar polish and a dry untreated cloth. Be careful not to get polish inside of your instrument. This will warp the bare wood.
Do not handle bow hairs with your fingers. Hand oils will lessen the effect of rosin. Always loosen the bow (3-4 turns) before putting it away. Wash and dry your hands thoroughly before each session to prolong string life.
Never stuff books/music or other foreign materials in your case. This is a major cause of instrument damage.