Viewfinder: Rental Night is Instrumental for Student Musicians

"Everyone wants to play an instrument," according to music department curriculum coordinator Linda Trotter. Everyone who wanted to play an instrument was accommodated Monday night at WBHS, as offered parents and students the opportunity to try out strings and woodwinds for free and rent them if they wanted.

"A mom that I know called to remind me that this was happening tonight and I'm glad that she did," said West Bloomfield resident Dana Harvey, whose son, Kenneth Harvey III, 11, attends . "When it comes to expensive equipment, it's important to try before you buy."

Although Kenneth didn't decide that night if he wanted to play the clarinet that he had his eyes on, he wasn't alone in waiting. Alexandra Beaty, 11, a student at  who will attend  in the fall, said she was trying to decide between a violin and a viola.

Karen Viele, an orchestral consultant at Marshall's, said that if students wished, they could come to the West Bloomfield store and try out any instrument they wanted.

"It's a rent-to-own program at Marshall's," she said. "The smaller instruments start out at about $16 per month and the larger ones can go up to as high as $60 per month. Marshall's also offers repairs for the instruments which are being rented for free."

Trotter said that students were in no rush to choose an instrument, as the service was merely offered from Marshall's out of convenience. "The goal is to get kids comfortable playing an instrument which they enjoy," she said. "That's why we're here teaching music."