How to Choose an Instrument for Your Child London

By  Angie Davies, Monkey Music Monkey Music Supernanny Expert 19/02/2008

In my last article , I explained how a parent and child should choose a musical instrument together. I also gave some tips on finding teachers. But if you’re not really not sure which instrument is best for your child, this article may help with what’s best, and for what age group.

The orchestral instruments that are featured below fall into three main categories – String, Woodwind and Brass. Each has its own attractions and disadvantages, and most (but not all) instruments are available in smaller sizes so that children can start early and then move up to the full size instrument when they are bigger.

String Instruments

Violin, Viola, Cello and Double Bass

Smaller versions of string instruments are available in different sizes as your child grows into the full-size version – there are even small versions of the double bass. Progress on string instruments can be slow in the early days so parents should be prepared to help out with practise at home and should observe lessons to pick up tips to help their children practise at home in between lessons. Children need to be fairly co-ordinated and mature enough to cope with comparatively slow progress at the start.
Although it is usually possible get hold of an inexpensive string instrument to start with, on as your child progresses, good quality instruments can be very expensive.

Violin
"Starter" violins are relatively inexpensive to hire/buy. Many music shops will do good deals on hiring violins so that you can replace a violin that your child has grown out of with a new one as your child gets bigger. There is vast repertoire of classical and popular music for violin. Some violinists swap over to learning the viola when they are older.

Viola
The viola is played by far fewer children then the violin and so viola players are always in demand. Perhaps a reason for the relatively small numbers of viola players is that they have to learn to read a different clef – the viola clef. The viola looks the same as the violin but is a bit bigger and heavier. Try to listen to some viola music and compare it to the sound of the violin. The viola makes a very warm rich beautiful sound.

Cello
Cellists read the bass clef which is the same one that is commonly used for the left hand in piano music. As with the violin, starter cellos are relatively inexpensive to hire/buy and most music shops will do good deals. Good quality instruments can be very expensive to buy at a later stage.

It is worth bearing in mind that the cello is an awkward instrument to carry. Most days my 15-year-old daughter walks to school but on days when she needs her cello I provide her and her cello with transport. A full size cello takes up at least one seat in a car but a cello is not as large as the double bass..

Double Bass
The double bass is a very versatile instrument and is suited to many different kinds of music ranging from class...

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