Instruments Inventory

Instruments

The Instruments section lets you track your school's instrument inventory, record hire to students, and log service and repair history. Go to Instruments in the main menu to get started.

The instrument list

The instrument list shows all instruments with columns for instrument type, make, model, serial number, school number, status, and tags. Click any row to open the instrument record.

Each instrument's status is displayed as a coloured badge:

Status
Meaning
Available
Ready to hire out
Hired
Currently hired to a student
In Service
Currently with a repair shop
Custom
Any additional status values from your dropdown lists — e.g. For Sale, Retired

Filtering the list

Three filter controls sit above the list:

  • Filter — search by instrument name, make, model, serial number, or school number
  • Filter by tags — narrow to instruments with one or more specific tags
  • Filter by status — show only instruments with a particular status


Adding an instrument

  1. Go to Instruments in the main menu
  2. Click + Add in the top right
  3. Fill in the Details form:
Field
Notes
Instrument
The instrument type — required. E.g. Trumpet, Bass Clarinet
Manufacturer
The brand name — e.g. Yamaha, Jupiter
Model
The model name or number — e.g. JCL675
Location
Where the instrument is stored at your school
Other details
Any additional free-text notes about the instrument
Status
Select from your dropdown list — e.g. Available, For Sale. This field is not editable while the instrument is hired or in service.
Serial no
The manufacturer's serial number
School no
Your school's internal reference number
Reserved
Reserve this instrument for a specific student before hire — they will be pre-selected when you hire it out
Tags
Optional labels for filtering — click + to add tags
  1. Click Save
ℹ️

Any custom fields your school has set up for instruments also appear on the Details form. To add or manage custom fields, go to Settings > Custom Fields > Instruments tab.

⚠️

Note: An instrument cannot be deleted while it is currently hired or in service. Return it first, then use the Delete Instrument button on the Details tab. Deleted instruments can be recovered from Settings > Archive.



Hire tab — hiring & returns

Open the instrument record and click the Hire tab to hire the instrument to a student, process a return, or view hire history.

Hire out

  1. Click Hire Instrument
  2. Fill in the hire details:
Field
Notes
Hired By
Select the student from the list. If the instrument was reserved for a student, they will be pre-selected. A warning appears if you select a different student.
Date Hired
Defaults to today's date
Form Received
Tick if the hire agreement form has been signed and received
Amount
The hire fee
Deposit
Deposit amount, if applicable
Comment
Any notes about this hire
  1. Click Save — the instrument status changes to Hired and the student's name appears in the Details tab under Hired By

Return from hire

  1. Click Return from Hire
  2. Confirm the return date and click Save

The instrument returns to its previous status and the hire record is updated in the history table below.

Hire history

The table on the Hire tab shows all past and current hire records. The student's name is a link — click it to open their record directly.

Column
What it shows
Hired By
Student name — click to open their record
Hired
The date the instrument was hired out
Returned
The return date, or an Is Hired badge if the instrument is still out
Amount
The hire fee charged
Deposit
The deposit paid
Comment
Any notes recorded at the time of hire


Service tab — repairs & service history

Open the instrument record and click the Service tab to log a repair, process a return from service, manage your list of instrument shops, or view service history.

Send for service

  1. Click Send for service
  2. Fill in the service details:
Field
Notes
Date Sent
Defaults to today's date
Cost
The estimated or actual repair cost
Serviced by
Select the repair shop from the dropdown. Click Instrument Shops to add a new shop if needed.
Comment
Any notes about the repair or service
  1. Click Save — the instrument status changes to In Service

Return from service

  1. Click Return from service
  2. Confirm the return date and click Save

Managing instrument shops

Click Instrument Shops in the top right of the Service tab to open the shops manager. From here you can add, edit, or remove repair shops. For each shop you can record:

Instrument shop details
  • Shop — the shop name
  • Contact — the contact person's name
  • Phone — phone number
  • Email — email address
  • Website — website URL
  • Address — physical address
  • Comment — any notes about the shop

Click Add Shop in the left panel to create a new shop. Click an existing shop name to edit it. Click Delete Shop to remove it.

Service history

Column
What it shows
Sent
The date the instrument was sent for service
Returned
The date it was returned
Cost
The service cost
Serviced by
The repair shop name
Comment
Any notes recorded at the time


Purchase tab

Open the instrument record and click the Purchase tab to record financial and warranty information. Fill in any relevant fields and click Save.

Field
Notes
Bought From
Select the supplier from your shops list. Use the same Instrument Shops manager to add a supplier if needed.
Purchase Price
The original purchase price
Current Value
The estimated current value of the instrument
Purchase Date
The date the instrument was purchased
First Hired
The date the instrument was first hired out — can be set manually or is populated automatically
Last Hired
The date of the most recent hire return — updated automatically when a hire is returned
Warranty
Warranty details or expiry date
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Tip: Keeping Current Value up to date is useful for insurance purposes and for calculating the total value of your instrument inventory.



Comments tab

Open the instrument record and click the Comments tab to add internal notes. Comments are visible to admins only and are not shown to parents or students.

  1. Click the + button in the top right of the Comments tab
  2. Type your comment and click Save

Each comment shows the date and time it was added. Click Edit to update a comment or Delete to remove it.

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Tip: Use comments to record condition notes or any context that doesn't fit the standard fields — for example, notes about cosmetic damage or known issues.

Quick reference

A handy reminder once you are familiar with the system.

Task
Where to go
Add a new instrument
Instruments > + Add
Find an instrument
Instruments > Filter, Filter by tags, or Filter by status
Hire to a student
Open instrument > Hire tab > Hire Instrument
Return from hire
Open instrument > Hire tab > Return from Hire
Send for service
Open instrument > Service tab > Send for service
Return from service
Open instrument > Service tab > Return from service
Add or manage repair shops
Open instrument > Service tab > Instrument Shops button
Record purchase details
Open instrument > Purchase tab
Add a comment
Open instrument > Comments tab > + button
Add custom fields to instruments
Settings > Custom Fields > Instruments tab
Restore a deleted instrument
Settings > Archive > Instruments tab