Empower your students to create and perform
Whether you are looking to support students with one-to-one learning, start a new project, band, orchestra, or ensemble, or implement whole class instrumental tuition, our flexible hire and competitive pricing make it easy to provide your students with the tools they need to develop their musical skills without the burden of significant upfront costs.
With a dedicated team to support you, free deliveries and collections, and maintenance included for all fair wear and tear, our instrument hire service is here to ensure that music can really thrive in your school. Empower your students to create and perform with our convenient and cost-effective instrument hire solutions.
How to apply
To arrange instrument hire for your school, get in touch with us using the button below or email us at musicresources@kent-music.com. Please ensure you include the following information:
• Your name
• The name of your school
• The instruments you need
• The timeframe you require them (please give at least half a term’s notice)
If you’re unsure about specific details, just let us know what you need, and we’ll assist you.
Instrument Prices
The price of hiring an instrument depends on which one you choose. Click on the tiers below for more details:
Tier 1
Price: £0.50 per term
Instruments:
- Fife
- Headphones
- Keyboard Stand
- Music Stand
- Recorder (Descant)
- Small Hand-Held Percussion
- Tongue Drum (Mini)
Tier 2
Price: £2.50 per term
Instruments:
- Bongos
- Box Zither (Small)
- Darbuka
- Recorder (Treble)
- Resonator Bar
- Ukulele
- Zimbalon
Tier 3
Price: £3.50 per term
Instruments:
- Amplifier (Any Type)
- Box of Chime Bars
- Box of Hand Chimes
- Cajon
- Clarineo
- Djembe (Any Size)
- Glockenspiel
- Keyboard (Mini)
- Keyboard (Roll-Up)
- Metallophone (Soprano)
- Ocarina (Set of 12)
- Recorder (Tenor)
- Side Drum
- Snare Drum
- Temple Block (Set of 4)
- Tom Drum
- Tongue Drum
- Xylophone (Soprano)
Tier 4
Price: £8.50 per term
Instruments:
- Bass Guitar
- Box Zither (Medium)
- Clarinet
- Conga Drum
- Electric Guitar
- Electric Violin
- Electro Acoustic Guitar
- Guitar (Any Size)
- Keyboard
- Keyboard (MIDI)
- Mandolin
- Metallophone (Alto)
- Modular MIDI Controller
- Oud
- PBone
- PTrumpet
- Re.Corder
- Resonator Bar (Set)
- Saxophone (Soprano)
- Skoog
- Speaker
- Surdo (Set)
- Ukulele
- Viola (Any Size)
- Violin (Any Size)
- Xylophone (Alto)
Tier 5
Price: £10.00 per term
Instruments:
- Accordion
- Analogue Synthesizer
- Audio Interface
- Baritone Horn Flute
- Cello (Any Size)
- Clarinet
- Conga Drums (Pair)
- Cornet
- Drum Kit
- Dualo
- Electronic Drum Kit
- Mellophonium
- MIDI Controller
- Mixer
- Piccolo
- Saxophone (Alphasax)
- Saxophone (Alto)
- Saxophone (Mezzo-Soprano)
- Synthesizer/Sequencer
- Tenor Horn
- Theremini
- Trombone
- Trumpet
Tier 6
Price: £12.50 per term
Instruments:
- CMPSR (Ensemble Pack)
- Digital Hand Percussion
- Double Bass (Any Size)
- Euphonium
- French Horn (Any Type)
- Metallophone (Bass)
- Oboe
- PA System
- Samba Kit (Up to 30 Player)
- Saxophone (Tenor)
- Xylophone (Bass)
Tier 7
Price: £20.00 per term
- Bassoon
- Bassoon (Short-Reach)
- Clarinet (Bass)
- Harp (Lever)
- Trombone (Jazz)
- Tuba
Music Plus
If you have been awarded funding for a KS1 or KS2 whole class Music Plus project, we can provide you with instruments for the academic year to support this. There will be an annual £36.00 administration and maintenance charge per class set but all other costs are subsidised.
Please see our Terms & Conditions for more information.
Are you looking to hire just one instrument?
If you’re an individual hirer, explore how we can support you with instruments for all ages and abilities on our dedicated page.
FAQs
How do we care for our instruments?
You can find tips of how to care for your instrument in our handy guide! And you can contact our Music Resources team or speak to your specialist teacher for advice.
How long can we hire instruments for?
You can hire instruments for as long as you like! Our minimum hire period is one term (Autumn, Spring, Summer) but our Agreement with you continues until you decide that you no longer need to hire the instruments.
How many instruments can we hire?
You can hire as little or as many instruments as you like! We have sent out as little as one instrument to a school and as many as 120 in one go. We will try to accommodate whatever you need!
How and when do we pay for instrument hire?
You don’t need to pay anything until you receive an invoice from us. Schools are invoiced at half term and then subsequently for any additional hires before the end of term.
You can log into your Kent Music account to view your statement, make payment, and download or print invoices.
How can we support students from low-income homes?
Our school hire is heavily subsided which allows schools to either fund the instrument hire cost-effectively or pass a small termly charge onto parents/carers.
Kent Music offers a Financial Assistance scheme for students aged 5 to 18 years who are living in and attending school in Kent (excluding Medway). You can find out more on our Financial Assistance page. If Financial Assistance is granted, the student will be entitled to hire one musical instrument free of charge per student.
Alternatively, if the school wishes to fund direct hire on behalf of the student, just let us know and we will arrange this for you.
We don’t need a full class set of instruments for Music Plus. Can we hire less?
Yes, you can! We understand that class sizes and Music Plus requirements can vary quite a lot and are happy to accommodate your needs.
If you already own a class set of instruments but your class size is increasing, we can supply you with the extra instruments you need free of charge.
What if the instrument we’ve requested is out of stock?
If the type of instrument you have requested is out of stock, the Music Resources team will suggest suitable alternative instruments for you to consider until your original instrument is available.
Alternatively, we can put you on a waiting list and inform you as soon as the instrument is available or direct you to other providers who may be able to assist you in the meantime.
Do we need to buy reeds, strings, or other consumable items?
Depending on the instruments you hire, Kent Music will provide you with the following items per instrument as required:
1 x pot of grease
1 x bottle of oil
1 x cloth/pull-through
1 x chin rest
1 x rosin
You will be responsible for purchasing reeds and strings and any subsequent items. We recommend using sponges and elastic bands as shoulder rests for violins and violas!
What do we do if an instrument is broken or lost?
If an instrument is broken, please email the Music Resources team immediately and we will organise a replacement instrument for you.
Do not try to fix the instrument yourself! Kent Music repairs all fair wear and tear free of charge, but we will need to charge you for the repair or replacement of any instrument that is damaged or lost.
With this in mind, we strongly recommend that you insure any instruments of value. You should be able to add them to your existing school insurance. The Music Resources team can advise you of insurance values.
How do we receive or return our instruments?
Please email the Music Resources team to arrange for the delivery or collection or instruments. We provide a free delivery and collection service as part of our school offer.
We serve all of Kent and Medway so please allow us enough time to prepare everything for your order.
Do you provide accessible instruments?
Need more information about hiring an instrument?
Get in touch via this form or give us a call on 01622 691212.