Playing and learning how to play a musical instrument can bring many benefits to anyone. Studies show a significant boost in children’s brain development and improvements in memory, focus, and concentration in adults. It also boasts one’s self-esteem and confidence and provides an avenue to express creativity. Because of these vast benefits, many parents are encouraged to have their children learn to play a musical instrument. But, many parents are still baffled about which musical instruments are suitable for kids and what age to start?
The good news is that many musical instruments can be taught to children as young as toddlers age, and starting them early also means they maximize their potential and reap the benefits longer. Even if you are a parent who does not know to play any musical instrument, it will not hinder your children from learning and maximize its benefits. Here are 9 of the best musical instruments that your kids can start learning.
Table of Contents
Types of Musical Instruments
The most common musical instrument classifications divide instruments into five categories: string, brass, woodwind, percussion, and keyboard. Furthermore, the first four types of instruments serve as the foundation of the modern symphony orchestra. Here is a short introduction of type and mechanism of the musical instrument.
Foundational Musical Instruments
1. Flute
Flute is the world’s oldest instrument with 50,000 year history. Some elementary schools include flute playing in their musical educational program. The best advantages of flute are low expense, simple to maintain, and easy to transport. When kids started, you want to choose an instrument that can easily moved from place to place. The flute is one of the smallest instruments, and its case is light and compact. You also don’t have to worry about temperature and humidity……just put it together and blow!
Opportunity for Flute:
The flute is relatively easy to learn individually or in groups, and it also does not require detailed notes to learn and remember, which makes it a perfect instrument to start with!
When time passing, flute is an extremely diverse and versatile instrument that can be found in almost any type of ensemble. It opens the whole world of wind Instruments for your kids.
2. Piano
Piano is the most popular musical instrument that kids start with. This is an excellent instrument for children because the black and white keys in front of them allow them to clearly see how notes relate to one another. They are able to recognize musical patterns,’see’ which notes harmonize with others, and play multiple notes at the same time. This aids their understanding of musical theory. The piano is also one of the few instruments that can perform both melody and harmony simultaneously (ie play a different tune with each hand at the same time). It aids in the development of finger strength, which is necessary for all second instruments.
It requires tremendous focus and concentration on the player and covers lots of musical elements like rhythm, melody, notes, dynamics, and harmony, allowing your child to easily learn other musical instruments.
3. Violin
If you got an impatient child, you might want to teach him perseverance, effort, and hard work through playing a musical instrument. And in this case, the violin is a good option.
A violin requires hours of training to get harmony more pleasing to the ears. And like a blessing in disguise, your child would strive to learn to hit the notes as fast as they can to play something that would delight you or their listeners.
Learning to play the violin is very rewarding as, when done correctly, it can create soothing music. No wonder violin playing is commonplace in hotel lounges, high-end restaurants, and romantic events like weddings.
4. Voice
Children can learn pitch, tone, melody, and harmony by singing solo or in a choir. It helps them develop breathing technique and lung capacity, which will be useful for wind instruments later on, as well as an ear for music.
5. Drums
The drum is an excellent first instrument to learn because it is simple to produce a pleasing rhythmic. Children can quickly learn simple melodies on the drums, they will be rewarded for their achievements earlier, encouraging them to return for more – essentially developing a strong connection with music.
Though obviously, playing drums can be interrupting, you may need to soundproof your home not to disturb your neighbors. Or, you can rent your child a studio for him to practice without interrupting you. Drum sets are also costly, so you may want to talk to your child first about their commitment to the instrument before you invest in one.
Other Musical Instruments
6. Guitar
The guitar is perhaps the most popular musical instrument nowadays. It is versatile to work with, blending with different types of music. Next, it is easier for most to learn, whether you are a kid or an adult. Third, there are vast resources to help you understand the instrument even by yourself, with many video tutorials that are easy to follow. Moreover, guitars are easily accessible and are inexpensive. There are also many options in the market, like acoustic and electric versions.
7. Harmonica
If you prefer a musical instrument that is small, inexpensive, yet fun to learn, the harmonica is a good option. It is also less popular, which makes the skill more impressive.
8. Saxophone
The saxophone can also produce soothing, calming, and even sensual or romantic music like the violin. This kind of music has a remarkable effect on people, kids and adults alike, enabling them to calm down or relax. As they learn them at an early age, they can already reap the benefits of their excellence.
Saxophone playing is also a beautiful skill that can impress many people, becoming a source of pride for your child. It also sounds good in itself or can impact music or harmony.
9. Xylophone
Your child may already be familiar with a xylophone because it taught them colors. The miniature, wooden version is also a staple in musical instrument toys your kids play with. But, learning the real deal is also suitable for your children since it is easy and beginner-friendly. It comes with introductory notes, too. Some schools also have xylophone clubs since, like the flute, xylophone players can also work with school bands.
Conclusion Thoughts
You will not get short of options for the musical instrument to introduce to your children. For a higher chance of success, please get to know your child first and assess which instrument may fit their interests. You can also pinpoint the skills or values you want them to develop and match them with a musical instrument that will teach it them indirectly. If your kids are old enough to decide, you can also let them choose their instrument.
About Me
Hi, there. I am Lin. Together with my husband and two kids, we live in the beautiful Netherlands in Europe. I am dedicated to self-development, creating quality time for the whole family, and fully supporting kids with their potentials and possibilities with all I have learned from engineering, MBA, and 10+ years of working experience in the energy sector.
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