As a parent who does not play a musical instrument it can be quite daunting to be faced with the task of purchasing for your child an instrument that you can be sure is good value for money and will last.  In the music department, any of the teachers or specialists will be happy to give advice about which instrument to buy or rent to buy.

At Patana, we have worked out a scheme with a local music shop in Bangkok called Lucky Music to make this much simpler.  Lucky Music have started a 'Rent to Buy' scheme whereby you pay for your instrument over a 3 year period. This involves paying 30% in year 1, 30% in year 2 and the balance in year 3 with a small interest payment on top. If at any stage of the agreement you wish to stop, you can simply give back the instrument and make no more payments.  Also if you decide that you love it so much, you have the opportunity to pay off the outstanding cost at any time. 

Alternatively you can visit Lucky Music yourself and purchase your own instrument (the address is available at the Instrumental Music Department). If you are particularly interested in a Yamaha instrument there is a Yamaha shop in the Siam Discovery Center that sells instruments. Guitars are freely available in Bangkok and can easily be purchased from department stores. Please take advice from your guitar teacher before rushing out to buy one of these as they will be able to tell you which ones are the better makes. Pianos can also be rented from Robinson's Music Shop on Soi 31.

As a rough guide, a good flute will cost approx. THB25,000; a clarinet THB15,5000; saxophone THB38,000; trumpet THB19,000; trombone THB22,000; violin THB3,000 up; cello THB10,000 up. Remember, if you are taking advantage of the 'rent to buy' scheme then you will only be paying a third of this each year for the first 2 years. Cheaper makes of woodwind and brass instruments are available but are often poorly made and may require many repairs. They often end up being more expensive and definitely more troublesome. An instrument can make a good birthday or Christmas present and often if the children have had to wait to get it they will cherish it that little bit more.

We also have many accessories for sale. Please ask if you are after something specific and I'm sure we can get hold of most things.

In the music department, we will all be happy to advise you or help you with your choice of instrument. Please don't be afraid to ask.