I often say that you never know what will inspire the next "thing". JAM House Instrument Care is one those ideas that stuck in my mind from a simple lesson in college Wind Ensemble on the campus of Alabama State University. Our director, Dr. Bryan Reeves was lecturing us on the importance of maintaining our horns and selecting the proper tools for the job. A lot of us were using our personally owned horns for marching band and wind ensemble so that lead to a lot of stuck slides and sticky valves. That being said, we were all using the same brand of valve oil because that is what our marching band director had. So we were using the same type of oil and having the same problems with our horns when Dr. Reeves pointed out that the this brand was a kerosine base and that when used outside in the Alabama sun, the kerosine in the oil will evaporate cutting the effectiveness of the oil in half.
Years later after becoming a band director myself, I was noticing the same issues in student horns. I noticed there would be a blue powdery substance coving the valves and in the inside of the valve case as well as significant wear spots on the valves. Even after cleaning and oiling, the horns would always seem to need more oil. After years of seeing this issue, I thought to myself, "how can I make it easier for band directors like myself to maintenance horns and keep repair bills down" and that is when it hit me. Most of the leading brands in instrument care that you will find on Amazon or Temu and even in reputable music stores are all about getting as much product out so cutting the active ingredients with fillers that do nothing for your horn has become the norm. They also mostly sell only one product to treat the symptoms and not the causes of sticky and slow valves. This is what sets JAM House apart from the rest!
Now that we know where JAM House came from, I can now tell you what JAM House is. JAM House Instrument Care is not just valve oil, it is a system formulated to keep horns lubricated, cleaner, and protected from the common factors that brass players have to be mindful of. The foundation of the system is the plant derived oil that is used in conjunction with cleaning additives helps keep any brass instrument operating smoothly by coating the valve to protect it against friction and heat build up. The cleaning additives keeps dirt and grime from building up in the valve case allowing for the horn's internals to stay clean, longer. Not only do the additives help keep the horn clean, but it also helps the horn smell refreshed with a burst of natural lemon scent. Our hand-crafted oil also solves the fundamental issue that plagues brass players in marching band…valve oil over-use...our formula is THICK compared to the leading brands. Having a more viscous formula helps out tremendously in the summer time heat of marching band. I say that because the leading brands will evaporate at a faster rate in the heat compared to our formula due to how much they cut their products to sell more units. The faster the oil evaporates, the more of it you will use which means more money spent over time. Our product will last longer so you spend less time doing maintenance and more time playing!
If the valve oil is the star of the show, the valve cleaner would be the co-star! As said before, JAM House works as a system and this system concept is an easy one, Lubricate through cleaning. The goal of valve oil is to add a thin layer of protection to allow two metal surfaces to glide across each other minimizing friction. Friction is unavoidable when dealing with dirty valves, its like putting clean motor oil into a dirty engine block. Yes you have oil, but the crud that was left behind is still causing friction thus leading to wear on the piston. Well the same thing can be said for the valve case of a brass instrument. Our valve cleaner solution is made to cut through the dirt and grime on and in the valve and valve case before applying JAM House oil. Doing so allows for a horns operation to remain smooth. Also, a clean valve surface allows the oil to better cling to the valve allow maximum protection from friction.
The last part of the system is the proverbial "cherry on top". The mouthpiece sanitizer acts to sanitize and protect the finish your mouthpiece. It is pretty self-exclamatory behind the philosophy of use. With a refreshing peppermint scent, you know your mouthpiece is clean and refreshed.
My mission is to supply every band and music program in the South with JAM House products. So far, I have been met with positive feedback and general positivity surrounding the products. As of now, JAM House instrument care is being used in a few local school band programs such as:
- Center Point High School (Center Point,AL)
- Erwin Middle School (Center Point, AL
- Pinson Valley High School (Pinson,AL)
- Park Crossing High School (Montgomery,AL)
- Notasulga High School (Notasulga, AL)
We am currently in the process of trying to get our product in as many hands as we can so my wife and I went on a product tour in the Birmingham and Montgomery areas and gifting band directors and musicians with one of our care kits. I did not want to send the kits in the mail because we want any director that is getting a care kit from JAM House to feel like a priority so we hand delivered the care kits to any director within a 100 mile radius of Montgomery. I can not lie, it was really cool to see the looks on the directors' faces when they saw how well the products worked. If you know a band director or musician that could benefit from JAM House, please send then our way!
Below is our product and price list. If you would like to place a bulk order, email us at myronthebandman@gmail.com
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