NEVER let a band director tell your kid what to play. It's your kid who has to take the time to learn the instrument, not the director! Let THEM pick the instrument that is the most comfortable for them....within reason. If you have a sax, sure, try to persuade your child to play it, but if the kid wants to play trumpet....buy a trumpet! Don't force them into playing something they don't want to play! They'll never stick with it. This is one of my pet peaves! Soprano saxophones have never really been a school band instrument, this is true. BUT, many modern high school bands are accepting a couple soprano saxes. Often they read clarinet charts, which are in the same key, Bb. The nice thing about having the soprano is that she can practice with it at home, and work on the fingerings, which are the same for all saxophones, and she can also work on her embrochure. Learning on soprano will make her a better alto or tenor player, because the soprano requires a lot more embrochure control. I would definately keep the soprano. It sounds like you got a pretty good deal on it, even though I am not familiar with that brand. It's hard to buy a quality sax new for less than $800, but it may be of adequate quality for a beginner. I would invest in an alto saxophone, if she really wants to play sax; probably either a Yamaha student-intermediate model, a Keilwerth ST model, or something like an older Conn Director's model, or Buescher Aristocrat in good condition.