Learning music is a delightful activity for people of all ages, particularly children. It provides them with valuable skills, but it also enhances their mental and physical development. In most parts of the world, people start music lessons for their kids as soon as they turn three years old, and they are successful in raising confident and talented children.
When it comes to learning a new instrument, you need to decide which one is more suitable for your child to start with, and there are various ways to do so. This article discusses the best first musical instruments for kids to learn.
The Best First Musical Instruments for Kids to Learn
Music is an integral part of our lives, and we simply can’t do without it. In our daily lives, we listen to our favorite music while working, driving from one place to another, working out, etc. Similarly, your music interest is ingrained into your children, and they start admiring different types of music from an early age.
If you also know how to play different musical instruments, you would be more interested in getting your children to learn them as well. With that said, let’s have a look at the best instruments they can start with.
1. Piano/Keyboard
The piano or keyboard is one of the most popular musical instruments out there, and it is also the most common instrument that most children start with. Most children start learning the piano when they are three years old, but the perfect age to get them started is around five to six years old. Playing the piano with both hands enhances their dexterity and coordination, and it also helps them in comprehension and sight-reading.
Another benefit of starting with the piano is that it enables one to learn and understand music theory as a whole. The theory remains the same for nearly every other instrument out there, and you just have to learn the playing technique if you know the theory. Therefore, it will become much easier for your child to learn other instruments as they grow older.
There is no reason to worry if you can’t get your child a piano. Although it won’t provide the same feel and experience, a keyboard would also do fine for their practice since both instruments are fundamentally the same. Click here for a comprehensive piano learning tutorial that can help your child.
2. Strings
Strings refer to stringed instruments, which is a wide category with several popular instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, etc. These instruments are visually beautiful, and their sound is also mesmerizing and deep. At first sight, you might find them to be complex and difficult for your child to learn. According to experts, the small size of the violin is perfect for kids to learn at a young age, which is what makes it a suitable first instrument.
Although the violin and other stringed instruments have been mostly used in classical music, they are being used in contemporary and modern music as well nowadays. You can also find bands with a violinist in their line-up, making it interesting for your child. Once they master the violin, they can also pick up the viola or cello as they grow older.
3. Fretted Strings
You might have wondered why the guitar wasn’t a part of the previous section. This is because the guitar is a part of a category called fretted strings, and it features acoustic and electric guitars, bass guitars, ukuleles, mandolins, banjos, and several other instruments. These are some of the most popular and widely learned instruments in the world and also the first choice for several children.
The best part about fretted string instruments is that they come in various sizes for people of all ages. Therefore, it becomes much easier for your child to find an instrument according to their size, and they will be more immersed in music lessons if they can handle their instrument without any difficulty.
Fretted string instruments are used in nearly every genre out there, particularly the guitar. Plus, they offer you a lot of versatility and allow you to learn other similar instruments once you have mastered the first one.
4. Woodwind
Woodwind instruments are a category that contains the flute, recorder, clarinet, saxophone, and similar instruments. It is a widely popular category, and most children get to play the flute or other instruments in their band class at school or college. If your child is young and hasn’t been near a woodwind instrument before, you can help them start with the recorder.
Learning and playing the recorder helps children develop coordination between their sight, breathing, and finger positioning. Once they have mastered it, they can move on the flute, clarinet, and other advanced instruments.
With this, we conclude our guide on the easiest instruments for kids to learn first. There is a myriad of instruments that your child can pick and learn easily, but they should also be enthusiastic and interested in what they are learning.