I was in charge of implementing a new barcode system at my last two districts. As far as the scanner goes: any scanner is fine, but I recommend something that is wireless so you can move around with it. Our district bought some cheap brand and I honestly don't even know the name because it didnt have it on the scanner itself, but the good thing was it had a usb cable to plug in, but you could disconnect the cable and use the mini bluetooth receiver that stores in the handle. Very helpful. I broke that one and now I just check out a scanner from our library and use that.
My current district uses Follett to manage inventory and while it is good for that, it is really not great for a band directors needs (I have a very long list I wont get into here unless someone requests it). I still keep a separate list on a spreadsheet and the good thing is that you can still click on a cell in the spreadsheet and scan the barcode into the cell. If a student has an ID with a barcode, that definitely speeds up the process, but its not necessary.