Well we live in an instant culture where when something breaks we throw them away. A good musical instrument should last for many years and can be passed to other siblings. If the instrument is well maintained. I would be best for the instrument to visit the repair shop twice each year. Pads on woodwind instruments need to seal properly for the instrument to play well. Many things can cause them to go out of adjustment such as a key getting bumped or the skin or leather pad tearing. The connections where the keys rotate are made of metal and without being properly lubricated will wear. Much like letting the oil in your car get dirty. It will prematurely wear out the engine. Another thing that happens to woodwind instruments is the pads can warp causing the pad to not seat properly. This is caused by humidity and weather changes. These changes happen rapidly here.
Brass instruments (trumpets, trombones,etc) need to see the repair shop as well because the saliva sent into the instrument by playing has acids that eats away the raw brass on the inside of the instrument. This needs regular deep cleaning to protect the instrument from wear. Also, parts such as felts used in adjusting the instrument do wear and need to be checked regularly. Another important part of a brasswind instrument is the tuning slides. They must have grease on them or over time they will get very stuck.
The best time of the year to bring an instrument in to the repair shop is right after the fall concert and right after school gets out. If you wait until school begins like most others do you may have a long wait. In some shops the wait can be months. This hinders your child as he/she won't be practicing and growing in their skill ability.
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