Musical instrument

That’s good to know if DS ever wants to learn cello as well (at the moment he’s only at Grade 2 on the violin so best to concentrate on that). Since I don’t have any musical background, it was easiest for us to get a new instrument so that we could be confident that it was all right. Probably if we were to buy a cello now we could get some advice from our music teacher.

If you think your DC will drop out of music lessons after a fashion it probably makes sense to hire their instrument. This was my first search engine hit and will give you an idea of the likely price (we borrowed from school or bought* our own).
https://musicalinstrumenthire.com/violin-hire/

Alternatively if there is a teacher/contact, you could see if there is a child who has outgrown/upgraded their instrument and wishes to sell it.

*I seem to remember that there is a state-school VAT free scheme

Possibly not worth it for a £200 violin, but we insure DC's instruments with Allianz: https://www.allianz.co.uk/insurance/musical-insurance.html

There's no way you need to spend £6,000 or even £600 on a starter cello. Basic instruments are very easy to get. Obviously the better instrument will sound better but it will be fine to be on a budget one to see if they enjoy it.

You can buy cellos on Facebook marketplace for about £150 by the looks of it! Probably not high quality ones, but a good starting point.

£6k sounds excessive for a starter cello. I've bought food condition Stentors for £300 to £400 second hand. Not amazing quality but good to grade 4 with decent strings by which time you'll know if investment in quality instrument worth it.

I have a child playing cello and one on the violin. They had a chance to try all the stringed instruments and chose these. The cello is a bit of a pain but buying second hand can be cheaper than renting and they tend to hold their value if you look after them.
Cello is more comfortable to play at the start but child needs to sit still.
Mini violins look cute but are squeaky in the hands of beginners. The strings are close together so accurate bowing is needed to not hit the wrong strings with the smaller sizes. Violins can also be played standing up so suit a wriggler who can't sit still.

I love the sound a cello best. However, for DS we went for violin, because (1) they are much easier to transport, especially on a bike and (2) a starter violin (1/2) size was £225 vs. £6k for a cello.

I was a lazy violinist at school and DD is a flautist, now bassoon-ing for fun. She is yr12, so I've sat through 5 or 6 years of concerts from twinkle twinkle up to concertos.

1st and 2nd violins tend to have more of the "tune". Viola parts always seemed a bit duller than cello parts.

I think I'd ask to try violin or cello, or bass if you think they'd fancy jazz or swing bands when they get older.

If the violin still sounds screechy or too loud, a mute (a bit like putting a clothes peg on the bridge) will quieten things down a bit.

Good luck!

As a viola player my heart would say viola, but sensibly I would suggest violin. She can always switch to Viola later if she wants to.

Assuming this carries on for years to come, there will always be logistical issues with cellos and basses, they're bulky and heavy to cart around. Bass players often get special dispensation to park in the nearest spaces to the concert hall as adults, cellos don't usually get that privilege.

Is there a particular instrument shes interested in as that would be a good place to start

Double bass! (Some of these comments may be a tiny bit biased!) I ve had so many opportunities I wouldn't have had if I was doing violin. It's easy to make a nice sound from the start. You are the most important sound in an ensemble. You will almost always be able to get into ensembles, including as an amateur adult. You don't need a massive car. A decent enough bass is much cheaper than a decent violin. You'll often be loaned them to start off with. They are pretty solid and harder to damage. Most adults play on roughly 3/4 size although there's lots of variety in shape etc. You hardly ever need to replace the strings. ( Although admittedly they are expensive when you do.You can buy wheels that slip on over the case, an absolute essential once past a small instrument size, makes life so much There's lots of great solo music now and brilliant ensemble music, the repertoire has blossomed hugely so you're not stuck just playing badly transcribed cello stuff that doesn't fit the instrument.

Possibly, or perhaps they both just had exceptionally small hands.

My first cello teacher would be getting on for 100 now and played a full size so 🤷

My mother had a 7/8 size and so did my daughter's cello teacher.

Perhaps it was more common when the average women was shorter than they are now!

Same. My school had double basses and I used one of those. I was allowed to take it home to practice.
You'll need a stool for her to sit on to play it.

My kids went through a similar programme. Bear in mind that you may not get your first choice instrument anyway, my youngest wanted cello but ended up playing bass. She loves it but I hate lugging it around!

My eldest started on the viola and has had so many amazing opportunities to play in various regional orchestras and a community opera alongside professional musicians. He started off quite halfheartedly, but now wants to study music at university, mostly due to these experiences.

Full-size is a bit of a variable term anyway, at least on bass and viola. My bass was probably considered a 3/4 size, but it was older than such rigid classifications and built for an adult, so that was somewhat irrelevant as long as it fitted me. Basses also have variations in the angle of the shoulder etc, and different people prefer different shapes.
Also btw basses eventually also play in three clefs (bass, tenor, treble) but that's at least a decade away from OP's dd!
I will concede that having to sit in the bike space on the train is a PITA. Getting a good trolley is key to transporting the bass as it gets bigger, I had one called a Double Trolley that converted into a stool, but I don't think it's made anymore. It was great for my back.
Second thinking about her personality! No point being a bassist or a violist if she's constantly going to be whining about not getting the tune, you have to be happy in the harmony.

Quite! @PricklyPearNoThornsPlease I was playing a full size double bass at 14. Cello is not a huge instrument at all!

Many female adult cello players don't play full size cellos

I have never met a female adult cello player who doesn’t play a full size cello. I got my first full size one at age 11!

I think it's a shame that the first session does not allow the children to have a go on all four instruments and make their choice later on.

But as it doesn't, I'd play her some music featuring the violin and cello and see which she prefers. If there is no preference, I'd consider the practicalities.

Assuming she continues with the instrument, how far is it to the secondary school she is likely to attend and how will she get there every day? It will be difficult for her to to walk for a mile with a cello or bass on her back, as well as her other school stuff. It will also be difficult to carry a cello or double bass on the bus or train (as one of my daughters would testify)!

More generally, I'd say the pros and cons of each instrument are as follows:

Violin and viola:

Pros: Smaller and more portable
Cheaper (at least for the first few years)
Strings will always be cheaper
For the violin you only have to play in one clef (two for the viola, but you start with one)
For the viola you will always be in demand and it will sound less screechy at the start!

Cons: Many people find the playing position uncomfortable.
Will take longer before she makes a decent sound, partly because the bigger the instrument the more mellow the sound, but also because it's much easier to play in tune on a bigger instrument. She may be upset by that, especially if others in the family are less than encouraging!

Cello and bass
Pros: You can make a decent sound almost immediately
Some people find it a more comfortable playing position

Cons: more expensive, bulkier and heavier, cello has three clefs to worry about (but again you start with one). I'm not sure about the bass.

Violin and bass might provide more opportunities than cello and viola for playing in different genres such as jazz or folk.

It's probably too early to tell, but what sort of personality does she have? If she likes being the centre of attention, she might prefer the violin as there are more opportunities (in an orchestra) to shine. If she prefers to be more in the background, one of the others might suit her better.

Is she likely to be tall or short? The viola is lovely but (other things being equal) the bigger the instrument the better the sound. A short child/one with small hands is unlikely to play a big instrument comfortably so may end up playing one not much bigger than a violin. Of course all young children start on small instruments, but if you're a viola player it's nice to be able to move on to a big one eventually. Many female adult cello players don't play full size cellos, but (in my view) the difference in size doesn't make that much difference to the sound.

For context, I have one child who plays the violin and viola, and one who plays the cello.

True! But that in itself might not be such a problem if she's taught the concepts of clefs and how they work early on too. I personally read treble, bass, alto, and tenor on varying combinations of instruments and don't find it difficult to switch between

Upside of the viola is they'll be in hot demand in school/amateur orchestras

It’s not any harder to read than the others, but given most other instruments use treble or bass it means she would definitely have to learn at least one other clef fairly early on, possibly 2 if she wants to do piano.

Seconded! being the power from the bottom is awesome

Don't let her learn bass unless you are prepared to move a fully sized one around later.

Double bass is the best instrument to play in an orchestra. I loved playing bass!

Bass and viola will give her more orchestral opportunities, because they're always shortage instruments. Bass is especially good in a few years for joining county and national orchestras if she takes to it - I used to be in an orchestra where I was working on grade 5 while most violinists were working on grade 8. And mini basses are so cute!
Alto clef (which viola uses) isn't any harder to read than treble or bass if it's the first clef you learn, so I'm not sure what PP means there.