Assembling an Excellent Student Snare Drum Kit

bodhran

Member
I have been asked what would make an excellent snare drum outfit for a beginner student (school band.)
I know all the big drum companies have kits with stands and bags. But what would make a great setup as the quality of parts and pieces might vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Here are the basic components:
  • Snare Drum
  • Stand
  • Practice Pad
  • Case
  • Starter Sticks
Thanks in advance for your input and suggestions!

Turns out I didn't word my post clearly.
Mainly I am looking for recommendations on brands & models of the above components.
What would be your ideal combinations to make a student kit?
 
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Yeah, you gotta have a metronome.

Other than that, I would add a mountable stick holder and a few extra pairs of sticks. Developing good, loose hands likely means dropping a lot of sticks along the way, so it's good to have a few extra pairs within reach.
 
Snare: steel 14x5 by a reputable manufacturer (for instance Pearl Sensitone, Yamaha Stage Custom, Tama Swingstar or Rockstar...)
Stand: solid single braced stand like Yamaha 600 series, Tama Stagemaster or Classic...
Practice Pad: I prefer simple rubber pads like my 6" Gretsch, pretty much the same as the Meinl pads.
Case: I like the Tama bags, they have a Designer series backpack version now that looks like it could fit a snare and a stand (although not sure about that).
Sticks: Vic Firth 5A are great sticks to start on. For a younger/smaller student, maybe 7A.
 
honestly, I have always had my students just get the Pearl or Ludwig combo kits.

I would NOT advise a beginning parent to buy an upper level drum at first because the percentage of students who continue is pretty small...I could not imagine asking the parents of my beginners to spend above $100 for the drum alone, let alone more. I usually have them get the prepackaged set, and then tell the parents "lets give this a year to see if it sticks".

those kits come with the right kind of stuff they need to start from a quality and endurance standpoint.

I have my kids supplement with a wire music stand and a met app for their devices. I also have them upgrade the bell mallets when it comes time to use them b/c the ones in the kits are really bad...

now, if they come to me saying that they already have a drum set at home, I just have them use the snare from that, and encourage the parents to get a soft shell snare bag or the like to carry it in
 
For snare: I think a Ludwig Acrolite (kinda the OG student drum in my opinion)

For practice pad: I’m loving my Meinl Anika Niles signature practice. It has 4 unique surfaces, including a low rebound back side to build strength.
 
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