Services For Music Educators

Who we are

Matterhorn Music is your one-stop shop for band instrument rentals, sales, accessories, in-house repairs, as well as customized clinics/workshops for music students. 

Matterhorn is an independent music store owned an operated by David Gsponer, a Swiss-trained woodwind and brass wind repair technician. After doing his four-year training in Switzerland, he apprenticed and finished his training in various shops throughout Europe. After moving to Canada, he worked for, and later became the head technician at Northwest Music.

Since starting Matterhorn music in 2000, David has grown his business into a well-respected shop that serves beginners and pros alike.

From reeds, mouthpieces, and ligatures for clarinets and saxophones; to mouthpieces for trumpets and trombones; and stands for all the instruments in the band, Matterhorn has it all.

David was pleased that in September 2019, Helen Kahlke came to work for him. Helen brings a wealth of experience and training to the job, and quickly become a valued member of the Matterhorn team.

Helen has a master’s degree in Adult Education, and taught saxophone and clarinet to students and adults for more than 20 years. She works closely with band teachers and students in a number of school districts in the Fraser Valley Region. She was also a professional musician.

She plays soprano, alto, tenor, C melody, baritone, and bass saxophones, as well as bass and Bb clarinets.

What we offer

Matterhorn Music is an authorized dealer for the following brands:

Instrument sales

We carry a full range of new and used student-model band instruments that are available for purchase from brands you know and trust. Bach, Selmer USA, Armstrong,

Buffet, Ludwig, Holton, Vito, and Conn are all available through our shop.

For those looking for something a more high-end, we are pleased to let you know that we are a Stomvi dealer, and regularly carry Stomvi trumpets in stock. Other Stomvi brass winds are available upon request.

If you are looking for a high-end saxophone, why not give one of our Keilwerth SX-90R saxophones a try? These fantastic German designed and made horns are not only stunning to look at, but wonderful to play and amazing to hear.

Instrument rentals

Matterhorn music has a large inventory of rental instruments for school band programs. From flutes to tubas, we carry them all. For a nominal fee an insurance plan is available for all our rentals. Any repairs necessary are done in-house, and the turn-around time usually quite quick. If for some reason the work cannot be done quickly enough, a loaner instrument may be arranged.

Band Method Books

We carry all the most requested books that teachers use including: Essential Elements for Band Books 1-3, Measures of Success Books 1-2, and Standard Of Excellence. Yes, we have them for all band instruments.

If the method book you use with your band is not on this list, let us know. We would be happy to order it for you.

Repairs

When it comes to repairs, we have your school horn inventory completely covered. We will naturally pick up the horns from your school and return them once the work is complete.

Matterhorn Music has a full-service repair shop. We do everything, including minor repairs; major repairs; set-ups; complete overhauls; and customizing an instrument to your needs. We also stock all genuine parts. If the needed part is not available anymore, we will make it.

Repair estimates are free, whether the instrument was purchased from Matterhorn or somewhere else. Rental customers can request a loaner instrument to use while repairs are underway.

Brass winds

Whatever your brass instrument needs, from an internal cleaning to soldering broken components, re-plating, and more, we have the experience and expertise to ensure a proper service and repair.

• Chemical cleaning
• Dent removal
• Rebuilding of valves
• Complete overhauls
• Replating
• Valve alignments

Woodwinds

From simply getting the instrument back to playing condition all the way to a complete overhaul, we’ve got you and your instrument covered.

• Cleaning
• Adjustments
• Setups
• Complete overhauls
• Oiling the bore
• Oiling the key mechanisms
• Removing play in key mechanisms
• Fine adjustments
• Tone hole and tenon replacement
• Replating

Accessories

Matterhorn Music carries a wide range of accessories

for all the instruments in your band program. The accessories are all from brands you know and trust such as: D’Addario, Yamaha, Vandoren, Oleg, Neotech, Protec, Beaver Creek, Manhasset, Korg, K&M, Hercules, and Hodges.

For Woodwind players the shop regularly carries

mouthpieces by: Rico, Yamaha, Otto Link, Vandoren, & Meyer. We also carry speciality reeds by Légère and Fiberreed. For saxophone players, Matterhorn music carries and installs a wide range of Oleg’s sax enhancers.

For brass players, Matterhorn Music carries a wide array of mouthpieces by makers such as: Bach, Yamaha, Schilke, Stomvi, Holton, and Faxx. We also have all the oils, greases, and accessories brass wind players need to keep their horns playing and looking the best.

Strings

Although people think of us a wind players’ shop, we do also carry acoustic guitars by Jay Turser and Beaver Creek, ukuleles by Beaver Creek, electric bass guitars by Jay Turser as well as practice amps. We sell D’Addario strings for all these instruments.

We offer free deliver on all product orders over $75.

Other services we offer

Besides all the services and products listed here, Matterhorn Music would be happy to work with you and your students in whatever way you feel might be beneficial.

Helen Kahlke is our education representative and is available for clinics/workshops. These clinics can be a one-off or multi-sessional—it all depends on what your needs are. Furthermore, they can be specific to particular instruments, or even to particular styles of music, or particular skills, or particular problem areas.

Common topics included in clinics/workshops could include:

• Instruments 101: assembly/disassembly/first attempts, etc
• Reeds – how to choose them; how to handle and store them; how to put them on your instrument correctly.
• Cleaning – how to properly clean your instrument after each use; why it’s important.
• Embouchure – forming the correct one for your instrument; why it matters; breaking bad habits.
• Breathing – how to breath properly; why it matters.
• Tone – how to work on your tone.
• Tuning – most common reasons for tuning to be off; how to start listening for your own tuning; how to correct it.
• Improvising 101 –what goes into a good solo; how to play one even if you have little to no music theory.
• Improvising 201 – a more advanced look into how to play a solo using the chords; figuring out what they mean.
• History of saxophones & examples of a wide variety of historical models ranging from 1886 to current production models. Includes a mini-concert with/without band accompaniment on soprano thru bass saxes. 

The topics provided here are just examples. If you have other needs, Helen would be pleased to work with you to develop a workshop(s) that is specific to your group. She has over 20 years of experience in curriculum design and will gladly work with you to put together a workshop that will meet the needs of your students.

In addition to Helen, we can arrange for other professional musicians and educators who play other instruments, who can assist when needed. This assures that, for example, a brass wind workshop is taught by a brass wind player.

If this sounds like something you think might be helpful, reach out at Helen directly. We would very much like to make this happen for you, so wherever possible, we will work with you on pricing.