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A Guide to Best Suited Musical Instruments for Children

By Ruth Williams


As a parent, you want to expose your children to as many interesting experiences as possible, and that includes exposure to music. Most music teachers agree that it is not a good idea to expose children to formal music lessons too early because that is a sure way to put them off music. We recommend avoiding lessons before the age of eight, unless they show a real interest in children's musical instruments before then. Let them hear a variety of different styles of music and genres. By taking them to see live music they can really engage in the whole experience and it may just inspire them to learn to play a musical instrument.

They should be able to recognise numbers and know the alphabet up to G before taking up a musical instrument. They will also need to be physically and mentally mature enough. For example, children should wait until their second set of front teeth are fully grown before picking up the trumpet or cornet.

The recorder is a very popular beginner's musical instrument, and is a good introduction to other wind instruments as a child grows. The recorder can also be played to a high standard and can sound good when played solo and a part of a group. A child can play a recorder early, as soon as his or her fingers are big enough to cover the holes.

Other wind instruments such as the trombone or clarinet are better suited to older children as they require a lot of effort to produce a sound. These instruments do not usually come in smaller equivalents, and when they do (the piccolo or soprano saxophone, for example), they require a higher degree of skill, so they are not good choices for young children. As children mature they usually progress onto more complex instruments.

The piano can be played as soon as a child can reach the keys and have enough strength to press them down. Some children can handle a violin as early as age four, but most start the violin when they are six. Some stringed instruments can be 1/8 of the size of full sized instruments. Most guitars, for example, come in smaller sizes and are suitable for children aged eight and above.

Sometimes children and their parents forget that the singing voice is the perfect musical instrument. Children should be inspired to sing from a young age and have confidence in their ability. Singing is a thing that all children can be involved with and is an excellent group activity for school music classes.




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