What is a good instrument to start with?

[RainbowSprinkles]

I'd like dd to take piano again. She's had one year of instruction, but I'd like her to have 3 years before choosing another instrument. She's not very interested in piano anymore. She told me she wants to learn the violin or the flute. I don't know much about music, but I always thought piano was a foundation instrument and then you can move on to other instruments more easily.

 

I'm not sure if I should let her go ahead and take violin or flute or require piano for two more years first.

 

Anyone have any advice?

[Alte Veste Academy]

My own personal philosophy about kids and music is that they should play for joy. I think they should be allowed to start with the instrument that they self select. DD wanted to play violin and DS8 wanted to play guitar. Everyone wanted to play piano too, but if they had to choose, they would have chosen violin and guitar, not piano. So they do both, because DH and I see the value of piano and they are very happy to learn both instruments. Poor DS5 wanted to do guitar and drums but can't start until he's older so for now he is thrilled to just do piano.

 

Incidentally, I have also heard that piano is the perfect foundation instrument. But if you have a kid who is losing joy of music because of being forced to play something she's not naturally inclined towards, what is the foundation for? For me, the foundation is joy.

[sweetpea3829]

LOL, I don't have an answer for you, as my children are still very young, haven't started instruments yet and I do not have a musical background (at all). But your post reminded me of a conversation I was having with my husband the other night where I asked him what instrument he might like the children to learn and my 3 yr old piped up, "I wanna play the TUBA!"

 

Maybe someday, kiddo. Maybe someday...lol.

[JumpyTheFrog]

My kids are too little for instruments, so I'll relate my own experience growing up. At the end of third grade, the sixth graders in band and orchestra came to our classrooms and played for us, so we could get a better idea of what instruments to sign select for the following year. (All third graders learned to play recorder, so we already knew how to read music.) Piano was not an option.

 

I picked the flute. My dad thought I'd quit after two weeks, my mom thought I'd quit after two months. They never made me practice and I played for seven years, until other class conflicted with band in high school. I still have my flute, and may join a community band next year to get back into it.

 

Looking back, I would've been a lot better if I'd practiced more and had private lessons, but I'm glad my parents didn't force me, because it may have ruined the fun for me. Okay, well maybe after 4-5 years, encouraging me to practice might not have been a problem...

 

If they had required piano, an instrument I had no interest in, I probably would've wanted to give up and not try another instrument. Even as an adult, I have zero interest in learn say, violin, while I might consider another woodwind. I think different instruments just appeal to different people, just like not everyone wants to play football.

[JumpyTheFrog]

One more thing, does it have to be one instrument or the other? Maybe she could do flute and piano?

[Calm37]

I'd like dd to take piano again. She's had one year of instruction, but I'd like her to have 3 years before choosing another instrument. She's not very interested in piano anymore. She told me she wants to learn the violin or the flute. I don't know much about music, but I always thought piano was a foundation instrument and then you can move on to other instruments more easily.

 

I'm not sure if I should let her go ahead and take violin or flute or require piano for two more years first.

 

Anyone have any advice?

 

I have a little different perspective on the "play for joy" thing. I have a daughter that has always loved the piano, but my youngest didn't really like it as much. She enjoyed knowing how to play the basics, but didn't like practicing and wanted to learn guitar.

 

I don't honestly know what caused me to make her stick with piano. One thing was that she loves to sing and I knew that if she was to go on to major in voice, she would need piano. Each fall I told her one more year. I allowed time each school day for practicing. She never outright rebelled about it, just fussed. I did allow some guitar lessons but she did not put in the work to really learn it. Sometime last year, in her 4th year of lessons, she had a breakthrough. She would tell you now that she loves piano because she is able to play music that she likes. She is only now able to "play for joy"!

 

I really think that there are a lot of kids that have to get to a certain level of mastery before they will enjoy their instrument. Only you can make the decision as to whether your daughter needs to put in the practice work, or needs to move on.

 

Blessings,

[JumpyTheFrog]

I really think that there are a lot of kids that have to get to a certain level of mastery before they will enjoy their instrument.

 

This is an interesting point. We have friends that teach a martial art. The parents were about 40 before they started it. Their kids started with them and the parents' rule is that the kids have to continue classes until they get their black belts. One child, who is a 3rd degree black belt now, stated that they didn't really enjoy it until they became a black belt.

[Alte Veste Academy]

I really think that there are a lot of kids that have to get to a certain level of mastery before they will enjoy their instrument.

 

True, but it stands to reason that self-selection of an instrument would make the time before mastery more enjoyable than it would be otherwise. In addition, I imagine there are many who never get to either mastery or enjoyment because they simply never cared for the instrument in the first place.

[Hedgehogs4]

I require 5 years of piano from my children, and they may select another instrument after that (or before, but they must complete the 5 years). There are days when my son doesn't love it, but he doesn't hate it either. He does it as regularly as he does his other school work. He is growing in his love of music overall, and is gaining a sense of rhythm and is trying new things musically which he would not have otherwise. If they both demonstrated a love for music that was so great they were clamoring to get another instrument I would indulge them, but no other instrument is as versatile and foundational as piano.

 

I don't look at it as something they must love, but rather a valuable skill to have and an asset in brain / motor / mathematical development, so it is a school subject, not an extracurricular. The discipline of practicing is also an asset. It is one area where he has to really work and learn to overcome frustrations in order to have success. I agree with the PP who said that sometimes kids need a level of mastery in order to enjoy.

[Splash]

Three of my kids started with violin. When oldest ds was little we went to tons of tiny tots symphony concerts, musical performances for children and listened to tons of diverse music. When he was 5 he decided he wanted to play the violin, before that his instrument would change weekly. We owned a piano but he had no interest. We continued to expose him to music but his interest in the violin didn't go away. When he was 7 we allowed him to start lessons. He's now 16 and still plays violin, along with guitar, piano, flute, sings, beatboxes, etc. He is a musician.

 

Next son I gave choice of starting with piano or violin. He chose violin but only played 2yrs. Now he plays guitar.

 

Next dd didn't want to play any instrument what so ever! She did childrens choir for several years and then last fall decided she wanted to play piano and loves it. (she is now 12)

 

Next dd plays violin and piano.

 

Youngest is only 5. Sometimes he says violin, sometimes piano, yesterday it was cello and guitar. I think we'll start him in piano and let him take time to choose his instrument without feeling he has to play what the others play.

 

I was told that both piano and violin were good instruments to begin their musical training.

[Dmmetler]

Violin and piano are both good starting points, and both have their plusses-on Violin (or wind instruments, or voice) you HAVE to learn and develop your ear to keep the instrument in tune, and to learn melodic intervals. However, it does nothing for teaching chord structure or harmonic intervals. Piano is the opposite-intonation is not under your control, so you don't develop those skills, but it's by far the best instrument for learning harmonic structures. In order to major in music you really need to play both, just for the theory knowledge alone. But a majority of musicians aren't going to major in music and make a career of it.

 

As a woodwind player by trade, I recommend waiting on woodwinds until the hands are big enough to manage them and the arms are strong enough. Flute seems little, but when you're holding it out there, it doesn't SEEM little anymore. There are adapted flutes, but they're so expensive compared to a good student model that's not adapted that it's better to wait the year or two for the child's hands and body to grow, so you can buy one GOOD student instrument that will work for the learning phase instead of an adapted student instrument, then a regular student instrument, and then, if the student becomes serious, a good instrument for wind symphony/orchestral playing in high school and college.

 

I tried to convince my DD that she wanted to play violin-the music school I teach at has a large Suzuki program, and I wanted to go through Suzuki as a parent. But she made it clear that she HATED the sound of violin, and when I tried to talk to her about it, it was "No mommy, I gonna play FLUTE!". She's almost 7, has tiny hands, and takes piano and Suzuki recorder (with me)-and will probably move to flute in a couple of years when she grows into it a bit more. The first book of the Suzuki flute school and Suzuki recorder school are almost identical, anyway.

[RainbowSprinkles]

How much do you have to spend on a good violin? And is one going to be enough or will we need to buy different sizes as she grows? My dd will be 10 in Feb.

[Tsutsie]

I think that all kids will at some stage NOT like the instrument they are playing - even if they chose it themselves.

I read somewhere that kids usually enjoy the first year, because it is new and progress seems fast. The next 5 - 7 years are doldrums of endless practice and, what seems to be, slow progress - it is here where they learn the most towards becoming at least competent. After that they realise that they need to practice to get better, so they do. Young adults usually play because they love it.

 

I'm going to require at least 5 year, probably more from my kids. No so much because I want them to be proficient at playing and instrument but as a way of teaching persistence.

 

My son plays both Violin and Piano. He started violin 3 years ago, and piano about 6 months ago. Piano is MUCH easier, he says. Either way, he does not want to quit violin.

 

Maybe you can do both for a little while and see what she prefer? (If she is a kid that does not like to struggle, I think she will go back to playing just piano pretty quick.)

[FairProspects]

Thanks for asking this question OP!

 

We are in the midst of the same discussion. Ds 2 wants to play violin, but I wasn't sure if it would provide as good of a musical theory foundation as piano. It sounds like it would though, so now we have a tougher decision!

[justLisa]

I started playing flute when I was 7. I played all through high school and sat first chair, and through college. I took piano lessons briefly and intermittently from later childhood until high school, but did not become serious about it until I was 16 almost 17 and in college. I could always read music, and practiced just for fun, and of course kept playing flute. I was a music theory major in college and though I never thought I would enjoy studying piano hours a day, I did enjoy mastering a difficult piece of classical music.

 

I think it is helpful to be able to read base clef. It is even more beneficial to PLAY a harmonizing instrument but I don't know that it is necessary to start there. I had NO desire to play piano, and I'm grateful my mom bought me a flute so young. I LOVED the flute. I picked it up quickly and it was beautiful. If someone would have told me you must play piano for x amount of time BEFORE I knew I loved it so, I am sure I would have forgotten it. However, If after I had played for a year someone told me you must play piano for x amount of time if you want to continue flute, I would have complied. I quickly realized though, in middle school band, that some of the children played both a band instrument AND piano. The competition was compelling in itself.

 

Music is joy AND work. I'm not totally sure how I will approach piano with my children if they refuse, because it is a good skill to have if you will play any instrument. They are just learning, and play guitar and drums. As of now, I want them to find what they love, then help them realize what is necessary to be the best they can be at it.

[NDQuilts]

My parents let me choose and I still play flute. My husband wanted to play drums but his parets had a rule about two years of piano first. He chose to stop because he did not like piano. I'd rather our kids have the opportunity to choose but they will have ether myself or their grandma as a teacher.