Submitted by Louise Eddington, Muncie, Indiana
Idea posted March 31, 2005
I found that many of our nearby schools had Orff instruments in awful shape. In fact, a few years ago I went into a local school and refurbished/repaired that collection. Our local university purchased their excellent quality Orff instruments only a few years before I got mine, but I was absolutely shocked at their condition. I think those instruments were everyone's to use but no one's responsibility to care for. At my school it is just the opposite; the instruments are the school's property, but I treat them as if I had paid for them myself. The students also treat the instruments in this same manner.
In addition to teaching the kids to respect and care for the instruments, I believe there is also a need for routine maintenance. (Sort of like the oil change the car needs.) Every year I remove my barred instruments from use the last three weeks of school. Programs are over and the kids become quite unmotivated anyway. We continue to have relevant lessons but without instruments. During the many breaks that occur due to end-of-the year field trips, I do a repair and inspection of the instruments. I take each of our barred instruments (23 in total) apart. I clean them bar by bar, dust the insides, check for tubing that is cracked or needs to be replaced, and look for any other problems. The instruments are put away for the summer looking as good as new and ready to go for the fall. For bar cleaning, I use lemon furniture polish spray for the xylophones and woodwind key oil on the metals. Cracks are fixed with wood filler and loose end-pieces are reset with carpenters' glue. Replacement tubing can be purchased from the dealer if necessary. Even untuned instruments need maintenance though not as often as the tuned instruments. Cymbals can be shined up with brass polish, sandpaper blocks need new sandpaper, wooden mallet heads and handles can be secured with Elmer's glue, and hand drums need Vaseline to keep the screw assemblies from sticking or rusting. Crochet around any overly fuzzy timpani mallets and they are as good as new.
Hand drums' drumheads should not get tears if the drums are loosened, tightened, and stored properly. In cases where there is a tear, I found that a tiny bit of clear plastic tape on the inside of the head prevents the tear from spreading. This helps avoid replacing the drumhead, which is expensive and hard to put on correctly.
Besides teaching the kids to respect and not abuse the instruments, regular maintenance is another important part to protecting this wonderful but very expensive investment.