COLORADO MUSIC INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION

PO BOX 12592

DENVER, CO 80212

www.colomusicindustryassoc.org

BEWARE THE I.S.O.’s (Instrument Shaped Objects)

Dear Director:

By now, most likely you have had the experience of beginning students reporting to your class with substandard instruments purchased from “big box” stores. Perhaps not very many...yet.

At this time there are over 100 factories on mainland China producting thousands of I.S.O.’s, and more are tooling up to get into production. As you may know, labor is very cheap in China, and so are these “instruments”.

Plainly speaking, these “instruments” are a rip-off! Unscrupulous merchants here in America are preying on the naive for a fast buck. They could not care less that what they are selling is such an inverior product that they will not last far into your students’ education. They are often referred to as “disposable” instruments.

What does this mean to you? Drop-outs! Are the kids disposable too? Beginners, who need the very best equipment, can become frustrated because they think THEY are the reason they can’t keep up. Who would want to work under such conditions? The kids are the real losers because they will be deprived of the life-long benefit of music participation. You all know that those benefits go far beyond learning to play an instrument.

The problem with band instruments is that hey all look pretty much alike, regardless of brand. A trumpet looks like a trumpet, etc. Parents may have a tough time rationalizing spending more money for an instrument when it closely resembles the I.S.O. to the untrained eye. It is so very important that you convey loud and clear the message thaty they don’t have to buy an expensive instrument to have a good, quality instrument. That is why dealers have rent-to-own plans. If parents are concerned whether their child will stick with it, it is even less expensive to rent a quality instrument for a few months that it is to purchase an I.S.O. Plus, their child will be given a better chance for success. Parents need to hear this from you.

To be fair, most parents don’t understand that they are purchasing an inferior product which will lend bend or break easily and have no repair parts available. They just believe that ehy are getting a “good deal”, not realizing that the more expensive instrument is by far the better investment.

It is up to you, the future teacher of their child, to attempt to educate them before they waste their money and put their child’s chance for success in peril. Warning messages to parents need to be conveyed by directors as part of the recruitment process. With this in mind, we have attached an I.S.O. letter for parents. Feel free to use it or alter it to meet your needs. You will notice that there is no mention of your school music dealer in the letter. It is not meant to be a “sales pitch” on their behalf.

If you choose to write your own letter, be advised that attorneys state that it is wise to say “in my opinion” when discussing instruments. There also may be some trouble if you mention specific stores or brand names of instruments in writing.

The retail music stores in Colorado rely heavily on rentals in the fall and a steady cash flow throughout the year from those rentals. These payments keep our doors open, enable us to provide repair services, and pay the salaries for school service representatives. The more that parents buy from the “big box” stores, the fewer services will be provided to you, your students, and their parents. The first service to be eliminated or greatly reduced by your school music dealer wil be the school representatives that come and service you throughout the year.

We realize that what we are asking you to do may add some extra time to your already hectic and busy schedules as directors, but make no mistake about it, we are all at a a crossroads. Please take a stand now to guide your students before you have to deal with bands that have many instruments that cannot be played in tune or won’t function properly.

Bob Schroder, a school music representative

Edited by Ken Anderson, Acting President CMIA