The Yamaha Student Percussion line of products are tailored for beginners, and are made with the same quality found on their more professional equipment. Yamaha is also one of the only companies to produce a fully-functioning beginner snare drum as well as a practice pad.

The Student Snare Kit features a 3" x 12" miniature snare drum with a metal shell, manufactured with simple but sturdy parts that will not come loose. Sticks are included as well. Percussion educators strongly suggest that if possible, the student should have the opportunity to practice on a real instrument. Practice pads are cheaper and quieter, but they do not feel or sound like the real thing. A height-adjustable stand (29 1/2" to 40") is also included, and is designed so that a child of any height will be able to play the drum. Many professional models are simply too tall even at their lowest setting, causing students to develop poor playing posture from the beginning. The stand is of professional quality, and can serve perfectly well as a drum set snare stand in the future. In order to keep parents sane, a foam pad is included that can be placed on the drum when noise is an issue.

The whole kit will fit into the snare bag, which includes backpack straps and reflective stripes for safety, topping out at 14 pounds. We here at Lone Star Percussion suggest considering the SK-275R model, which includes all of the above with the addition of a height-adjustable rolling cart; your children already carry around half their body weight in books.