Best Music Stands - These Ones Receive a Standing Ovation!
What are the best music stands? That depends a little on what you are looking for. Do you want a travel stand, a stand that is sturdy, or maybe one that looks beautiful in your living room. Whatever you're looking for we've got answers.
While having a good music stand isn't the most important thing in a musicians life, it can make day to day practicing and performances more enjoyable. The best music stand for you totally depends on personal preference, and needs.
I once taught a nine year old girl who received a pink collapsible stand for Christmas. She toted that stand around to lessons and was so excited to get it out to use and practice with. For her, the cheap barbie pink stand was motivation to practice.
When I got married my husband gave me a wedding gift of a really nice wooden stand. It is beautiful to look at, and reminds me of that joyous occasion 11 years ago when we tied the knot. I don't mind having the stand left out in the room because it adds instead of detracts from the beauty of it's surroundings. It doesn't fold up, so it's carried room to room and transported in the trunk of our car, but I love how sturdy it is compared to the folding wire stands.
Here are some of the best music stands on the market and the reasons why they might be the stand for you! First you need to decide whether you want a lightweight folding wire stand, an affordable yet sturdy non-folding metal stand, or a pricier beautiful wooden stand that is also sturdy but not compact.
Best Wire Stands
- This particular music stand is sold from the Johnson String company. Johnson strings are reliable, have excellent customer service, and sell quality products. This stand folds up easily and compactly into a carrying bag. Reasons why you may not want to buy this stand is that wire stands typically are not as sturdy as other stands, and cannot hold as heavy books. This stand is very affordable and runs around $20.00. 
- Looking for something affordable, gets the job done and is easy to transport? Try the Yamaha MS1000. For less then $20.00 you can buy a stand that is lightweight, yet relatively sturdy and made by a company that has been in the music business a long time. I don't own this stand, but have personally used it and can agree with the reviews that it is probably the most bang for your buck. One drawback (like all wire stands) it tips easy and doesn't hold heavy books.
- This is a deluxe, high-end model of the wire stand. It features; an extended height of 48", aluminum material, weight of 1.6lb, super compact, easily adjustable, and a hefty price tag of $80.00. This stand is top of the line. One drawback to using such a lightweight stand is if you are playing outdoors or on uneven surfaces you may have to place a foot on the leg of the stand to keep it from blowing/tipping over. This is one of the BEST music stands on the market. Best Solid Metal Stands
- Let the fun times begin, these stands come in different colors. They are sturdier than the collapsible wire stand, but not as easy to transport as the wire stands. The Manhasset colored stands receive great reviews. Most of all musicians love the bright purple, green, blue and red that they come in. For a fun twist, buy one of these music stands to coordinate with the colors and decor of your favorite violinist's room. This stand is price tagged around $60.00.
- Customers seem to really LOVE the Manhasset brand of stand, it is mentioned as being of the best music stands on many orchestra and music forums. It is a solid metal stand that adjusts in height up to 48". It is sturdy enough to hold heavy books, and doesn't tip easy. The Manhasset Orchestra comes with an extra utility shelf to house pencils, rosins, and bows. This shelf is particular handy if you are a music teacher! If you already have a travel stand, and are looking for a stand to stay in one central location this is a great option. The price range for these two stands are between $30.00 - $60.00. Around 2/3 of violinist own and use one of these metal stands. Best Wooden Stands
. Many violinist prefer wooden stands for their old fashioned look and feel. Although they aren't very easily transported, I have felt it worthwhile to transport my wooden stand to recitals for my students. Using a wooden stand added a classic look to the stage on which we were performing. Wooden music stands make a wonderful gift for serious violin students, adult violinist, orchestra and private violin teachers. Reasons for not buying a wooden stand is that they are more complex to adjust. They can also hurt young children, or damage belongings if tipped over because they are heavy and solid. Although, I have five children and that has never happened to me. 
