Can children with asthma play wind instruments?

[Jaylabelle]

Dd (6) is desperate to start playing the flute, but she has quite severe asthma.

Does anyone know if that's a bad combination? Should I be steering her in the direction of the violin instead?

Might actually help.

I think it might help. My dd with asthma is learning the trombone at school.

Might help with her breath control, lung strength etc. I’d want to talk to the teacher about the asthma though, make sure they know how to handle it if she needs her inhaler or starts to have difficulty.

I have severe asthma. Any exercise that stretches the lungs is a good thing! She should go for it. Make sure her asthma is under control (as best it can be) and make sure she has her blue inhaler with her just incase.

I take Seretide and do a lot of fitness! It can be done.

I learnt clarinet as an older child. My mum was told it would help. I'm old though. May be outdated advice.

DS (medium level asthma) played flute, and DD (mild asthma) played trumpet for years and now plays bigger brass. By the sound of things, your DD is much more affected, though, so I'd check with your GP.

Ds plays brass with asthma. I feel it helps.

My daughter does. The doctor said that it would help.

www.asthma.org.uk/advice/living-with-asthma/music/

My friend's ds plays the trombone - severe asthmatic..
He managed to chop his little finger off at my house many years ago () and can still play the piano tremendously too!!
(it was sucessfully reattached!!)

It might help. DS’ asthma, at that age, was quite bad, but someway he managed to play the trumpet!

I play the flute and can’t breathe through my nose (deviated septum).
I also sang in the school choir and the more I played the flute the better my singing got.

Having said that I couldn’t play the recorder at primary, I started flute in year 7.

Yes I was an asthmatic child and was encouraged by the doctor to play a wind instrument and to take up swimming too. Don't know if that's still advised.

I’m asthmatic and played the flute in school

DD with asthma plays trumpet, cornet, and flugelhorn. She was taught breathIng exercises by her teacher and I think it actually helps not hinders her asthma.

My cousin had really bad asthma and the doctor recommended she play a wind instrument to help her breathing so she learned to play the bagpipes

I'm severely asthmatic and played the flute until mid way through high school

I’ve only ever known it help. Plus the flute is portable - you can put the case in your rucksack, it’s a winner!

I played the clarinet (very badly) at school and I have quite bad asthma.

Most definitely she can play a woodwind instrument! I have asthma and did a music degree specialising in performance on the clarinet and recorder. I also played the saxophone. Playing these actually helped improve my asthma and my peak flow was raised as well.

As others have said - it may help - my DD had sever asthma as a child (she is a lot better now she is grown up) she started trumpet at about age 9 and got to a high level on it - never caused any problems with her asthma. And she played in several bands and orchestras as well as having her lessons.

I'd definitely let your DD have a go if she is keen, - super that she is so interested in learning an instrument

A friend of mine in middle school (we were 12-14 years old, not sure what that translates to in your school system) had asthma and played the flute.

I have bad asthma and played the flute all through school (although stopped in 5th year when “American pie” movie came out and I couldn’t take the jibes 😂!). It wasn’t detrimental to my asthma def.

This thread has made me sad, I have asthma and really wanted to learn the clarinet at school, but I was told that I couldn't Because of my asthma

I started flute at 7 with asthma. It helped my breathing control. I stopped at 11 but my asthma was much better by then and I stopped using any inhalers by 19.