Primary Times - the definitive what’s on and where to go family guide of activities and events for children of primary school age. Things to do with your kids during the school holidays including arts and craft activities, music and theatre for children, parties, competitions, days out, and family attractions along with term time drama schools, dance classes, after school clubs and sports activities. Things to do at a place near you!
My first instrument: Where to start
Learning a musical instrument is an exciting and incredibly rewarding experience. There are tonnes of benefits to your child learning an instrument, and in an age where learning any instrument is possible, there are so many options available! This of course can make it pretty difficult to know where to start. These are our four favourite options for your child’s first instrument.
Piano
Learning the piano gives a child more than just a specific skill, but a deep understanding of musical concepts such as key, notes, scales, and timing. Not everyone has a piano in their house though, and getting one is pretty expensive, inconvenient, and often just not practical. Consider a keyboard instead in this case.
Pros
• Linear layout is easy to comprehend
• Many modern instruments are keyboard based
• Teaches your child a lot of musical concepts
Cons
• Pianos are expensive
• Not a lot of music is piano-based these days. This can make it hard for your child to really get into learning it
Guitar
Alongside piano, guitar is probably the most common instrument for music beginners to learn. It’s incredibly versatile, used in a lot of music, and can be used as a solo instrument (as opposed to drums which are typically played with other instruments). The learning curve can be pretty steep though, especially for younger children with less developed fine motor skills.
Pros
• Affordable - you can pick up a guitar for under £100
• A good base to understanding how other instruments such as bass guitar or violin work
Cons
• Learning curve can be steep
• Some children have difficulties physically playing guitar
Drums
Drums are one instrument that is absolutely timeless. Even though a lot of modern pop music relies on drum machines or programmed drum parts, these can still be played on a traditional drum kit. Music always needs a rhythm section. The only problem with drums? They’re super loud!
Pros
• Good cardio workout
• Drums will always be used in music
• Gives your child the best possible understanding of rhythm and timing
Cons
• Doesn’t focus on melody, notes, scales and keys
• They take up a lot of room
• Can be expensive
• VERY loud
Violin
There aren’t many people who don’t agree that the violin is a beautiful instrument. Beginner violinists can be pretty difficult to listen to though, so if you don’t have a lot of patience you might want to steer your child away from this one.
If you can put up with the racket though, violin offers the perfect entry to orchestral music, as well as allowing your child to develop a thorough understanding of musical concepts beyond simply playing their instrument.
Pros
• Sounds very beautiful when players get better
• Develops a strong understanding of musical concepts
Cons
• Good violins are expensive
• You’ll have to put up with some pretty horrible sounding attempts to begin with
Where To Next?
Naturally, both your child’s age and interests should be taken into account. For example a 5 year old is going to have difficulties learning to play a full sized drum kit, so a more size-appropriate instrument may be a smart decision.
If they are old enough to have developed musical interests, then you should both consider the types of music they are interested in. If your kid loves pop or electronic music, violin might not be the instrument for them.
Don’t forget that vocals are an instrument too! Singing never goes out of style, it can be done anywhere, and doesn’t require any kind of purchase.