Which instrument for 8 year old

If you start with violin it's easy enough to pick up viola - my dd1 did that and is now much more in demand as a mediocre viola player than a slightly less mediocre violin (she doesn't practise much). Flute is lovely and an easy start but disastrous if you want to be in orchestras as loads play it and not many needed.

But if you play in an amateur orchestra you do! I know plenty. The beauty of playing an instrument is it is for life, you will always be able to find others to play with if you want to, whether it's mandolin, ukulele, recorder, viola anything really.

Both my DDs started on brass instruments at about 8 as the result of being able to have a go on one at school/seeing them being played at concerts.

The trumpet is a brilliant instrument but it's quite long (cornets are shorter) and the centre of gravity can make them hard for smaller children to hold up without causing neck/shoulder pain. The ptrumpet is made of plastic and makes a decent sound though so if your DC is interested in the trumpet, that's worth looking at. As others have said, the trumpet is brilliantly versatile in terms of the ensembles it is played in - trumpeters have to switch to cornet or flugelhorn if they want to play in a traditional brass band though.

Someone else suggested tenor horn and I'd second this. It's held closer to the body than trumpet/cornet and makes a beautifully mellow sound. It has a larger mouthpiece than the trumpet which some people are better suited to. Tenor horn players often progress onto the French horn which is a completely different fingering system and price bracket! This is what one of my DDs has done and she now plays tenor horn in an adult brass band and French horn in various youth ensembles.

If you live in an area of brass bands, many of them have training bands which will teach the instrument as well as provide it! My two have had a lot of fun playing brass instruments, are pretty decent players and have had some amazing opportunities as a result. The brass world is still a very male-dominated one so being a female trumpeter/horn player and being good means they will often be the sole female in the section. It's never been an issue for my DDs but it is very noticeable that the violinists in most professional orchestras tend to be female and the brass players, male (and white). There are some fabulous, female trumpeters who are worth listening to if your DD is at all interested in the trumpet e.g. Alison Balsom, Sheila Maurice-Grey, Laura Jurd.

I started with woodwind as a kid then moved onto strings as an adult.

There are you tube videos of people discussing the instruments they play, if your daughter chooses an instrument she loves the sound of, she will be more likely to commit to it.

If cello is too big, and violin too frequently occurring, how about viola? DD plays that and all the ensembles are desperate for her (not because she's good, she's not 😂). It's alto clef which isn't the most useful, but once you've got the hang of that, it is easy enough to switch to treble or bass if you need to.

Also I know lots of adults who still have and play guitars at home….don’t know anyone who relaxes after work with half an hour of French Horn

Guitar is most popular instrument at my school. It’s practical, portable, affordable and, unlike most instruments, it’s not a horrible sound to listen to kids practice.

Not the harp - unless you're loaded - you need an estate car to move them, a full size one costs about £20k and a full set of strings is a grand.....

If your daughter is someone who likes being part of a team then look at the rarer orchestral instruments so viola, horn, oboe as she is more likely to get in at a lower standard playing those.

What does she like the sound of? There are lots of good videos on youtube with musicians introducing their instruments. Very traditional - but I found Peter and the Wolf was a good introduction to different orchestral instruments. DS always loved the sound of a trumpet so that was a no brainer. DD wanted to play the harp after seeing/ hearing one on Young Musician. It was completely out of our price range so she finally settled on the clarinet. If your DD is able to try some out, that could help. I know some music services/ music schools do taster sessions to help you decide. In our area there seem to be lots of kids playing woodwind and brass, not so many strings. In DD's orchestra in secondary school they could def do with more string players all round. But go with what she is drawn to rather than strategising!

I don’t think it matters which instrument- more important is that the child wants to learn and is enjoying it.

@LovelyDogSmell She was 8 when she started recorder, after half a term her teacher said she was ready to move on to the clarinet. Lots of this was over lockdown, so zoom lessons, which made it harder with things like adjusting the reed and when her clarinet needed fixing.

My granddaughter started with recorder, with a view to progressing to a flute. They're easily transportable and (I think, not being musical myself) relatively easy to learn.

*How old was your dd when she started the clarinet?

Oh cool, thank you @ObviouslyNotNow ! How old was your dd when started the clarinet! There is hope then as my ds only practices max 10 min piano per day so don't hold my hopes up for extensive addition clarinet practice. Your dd is doing very well!

My dd got G1 level on the piano (hated it), then picked up recorder with the aim of moving on to clarinet if she liked it. That was about three years ago, and she’s working on G5 clarinet now. But she could already read music (chorister) which helped. Though she does very little practice (about 5 minutes a day, about 5 days a week) - she would progress a lot faster if she did more!

Jumping in to ask how long it might take for a child who plays piano grade 2 to learn clarinet? Does the clarinet always produce a 'breathy' background sound? Or is this just with beginners?

There is a massive shortage of kids playing the oboe and bassoon. Some areas are giving free lessons to get them encouraged.

My daughter started on the cornet and still plays it in a brass band, but also plays trumpet, baritone , flute, and piccollo.

There is also a need for orchestra percussionists but I know it's not everyone's cup of tea having drums around.

Not sure where you are but a lot of the music services have Saturday clubs where kids can go and see what they get one with.

Mine got to try them all out at the end of year 2 ready for a year 3 start. He knew he wanted French horn even then (age 7). Luckily that's what he was allocated, he's now 18 and off to conservatoire in September. Horn and oboe are often in high demand as they're rarer instruments, it means they get a lot of opportunities.

DD is loving playing the trumpet. It’s not too difficult to carry around with a good case, and she loves the fact that she’s the only trumpet in the school band. As others have said, there’s loads of different styles of music you can play on it.

Surprised nobody's saying keyboard or guitar - things that you could quite reasonably be playing tunes for fun on, daily, for the rest of your life.

I wanted to learn the oboe but was told my hands were more suited to a clarinet 🤨 if I could turn the clock back I would've asked about the sax / soprano sax 🎷 didn't get on with any stringed instruments as was a piano / voice major so keyed instruments for me!

Ukulele is pretty easy to teach yourself from YouTube and instruments start from about £25 up to several hundred. I also love the recorder, so many possibilities, styles of music, different sizes but it's often much maligned and not that well taught. There are some pickets with great teachers and access to good ensembles. Don't be disheartened if they don't stick to the first instrument you try, it doesn't mean they're not musical, just they've not found the right instrument or teacher. Also, get into a regular practice routine from the start will help with progress and ultimately make it more fun. Five minutes each day is better than one mammoth session a week.

Mine all started on piano but that is quite a lonely instrument. Can you see if a local private teacher would let her try out eg mine tried out oboe, clarinet flute and bassoon and very definitely chose oboe. Yes, it can expensive with reeds but she has never damaged one, it's a regular cost you just factor in. Beginner instruments are fairly pricy and so is the next step up but then you wouldn't need to buy again unless going to Conservatoire, whereas with strings, you would go through several sizes.
Younger dd does bassoon, had always loved it. Thankfully had lessons at home so doesn't need to carry it to school often. She loves being unique and the beautiful sound possibilities. Neither made horrible noises as beginners, I think it's just something people like to say about beginner Oboes/ violins etc.
If she wants to play in an orchestra or wind band, that would suggest clarinet or trumpet being pretty flexible as to what type of music. If she wants a guaranteed place in an orchestra, viola or double bass. You get smaller versions of both. Saxophone is great, several different sizes too but rarely in an orchestra but wind/ jazz bands instead.
Watch the rpo( I think it's them) young person's guide to the orchestra video for some ideas.
Percussion is really varied but can be expensive when you do more than drum kit. You'll always be welcome in lots of types of ensemble.

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