Instrument Care in the Florida Climate

Florida is hard on instruments in ways that guides written elsewhere do not cover.

Independent guide. Not an orchestra, school, teacher or agency, and not affiliated with any organisation that previously used this domain. Audition dates, fees and programmes belong to the ensembles themselves — always confirm with them directly.

Never leave it in the car

A parked car in a Florida summer reaches temperatures that will unglue seams, warp wood, melt adhesives and destroy pads. This is the single most common way a family loses an instrument here. There is no shaded car park safe enough.

Humidity

High humidity swells wood and pads; the air conditioning that fixes that indoors dries things out. It is the swing between the two that cracks wooden instruments. Keep the instrument cased when not in use, and let it come to room temperature in the closed case before opening it after a hot journey.

Salt air

Near the coast, salt attacks metal: keys, valves, strings and fittings. Wipe down after playing, and be more diligent about it than a guide written for Ohio would suggest.

Routine care

• Strings: wipe rosin off the instrument and the strings after every session; rosin left on varnish is a repair bill.
• Woodwind: swab after playing, every time.
• Brass: oil valves and grease slides regularly; bathe the instrument as your teacher directs.
• Everything: latch the case fully before lifting it.

Before hurricane season

Know where the instrument goes if you evacuate, and photograph it with its serial number for insurance. Household contents insurance may not cover an instrument taken to school; ask.