What instrument for DD to start?

[IWantAnotherBaby]

OK, DD, who starts reception in September, is desperate to start playing an instrument (mainly, I think, because she wants to be like DS (8) who plays viola reasonably tolerably). She wants to play flute and piano. Does anyone have any advice about the best age to start either of these, of whether a different instrument would be preferable? Thanks

I'd say too early for either!

Her hands are probably too small for piano, and for woodwind you generally need to have your 2nd set of front top teeth, plus for flute she would probably need a curved head joint which needs a lot of puff!

Recorder? Can she concentrate sufficiently to learn an instrument given that she's only 4?

Glockenspiel. Seriously. You can get nice ones that have all the 'black' notes.

Then recorder, for flute fingering.

My r key is sticking. You have no idea how long it took to type recorder.

I'd second the recorder. Was a bit dense, but only recently realised that if you can do the recorder you've got the basic fingering for a lot of instruments (flute, saxophone etc)

Crickey- reception age- I'd say far to early, even for recorder- their fingers are just too tiddly to cover the holes!

If anything find a teacher used to small people who will do a general musical session - singing, clapping just having fun.

I was always told that for formal musical things they need to be able to read (and so track music along a line with the eyes) and the concentration span of a 4yr old is that of a gnat- possibly a gnat on acid, depending on the 4yr old....

However if you find a suzuki teacher, they feel differently and will have her scraping a 1/32 violin in a group learning to play by ear. THey get results, but how much of this is "chinese tiger mum" mediated I don't know.

Mine, who are musical from a musical family, started piano in yr 2 having sung lots before (and joined church choir a 6-7). Individual instruments not till year 3 at school.

Dh, who's very musical and done a lot of playing says:

Start on the recorder. Learn to read music and hold a beat. Move to piano between 6 and 7yo, and then, if practice is being done and enjoying it, consider an orchestral instrument.

I started learning piano at 5 - hands can be bit small for the odd combination of notes but not simple beginning stuff. It is brilliant for musical understanding as the notes are all laid out in front of you in the keys which supports the theory side of learning to read music.

If she really does want to start an orchestral instrument, violin would be the one as the come in small sizes. Is there a suzuki violin group near you?

I agree with the recorder, teaches finger ingredients, reading music, tempo, time and children can easily get results.

My mum taught me to play the recorder in the term before I started school aged 5.2 - my mum had a point to prove as my 1980 school was working to rule and only providing a place in the term after the child was 5.
Having said that I bought Dd1 a recorder for Christmas (aged 5.3) and she wasn't ready to learn, it's in a drawer and we'll try again in the summer. She is however fantastic at singing and the only reception child in the school choir so maybe her musical ambition is going in another direction. What I'm saying is start small and work with your daughter's abilities.

Fingers movements, not ingredients, my phone is obviously not musically inclined!

Ukulele?

I started playing the piano at 5 and don't remember having any problems. The piano is good I think because the notes are all there in front of you. A good basis to learn music from.

Msinterpret just read your nearly identical post

I remember being told that kids have to be able to read well before they start learning an intsrument. Make sense, as they have to read music. they also need to have big enough hands (though you can buy small violins and some other instruments).

Why not start off with recorder. Or our school did handbells. The kids liked that.

Another one for the recorder here. That is what I learned on and then progressed to the piano, clarinet & guitar.

My dd started on the recorder at 4, and progressed very quickly. She moved from there to the keyboard and then piano. She now plays the piano and French horn.

4 is absolutely old enough to start learning the recorder, and they really don't have to be able to read to be able to read music - it's a completely different skill.

I started DS1 on the recorder when he was 5 (Yr1) and in Y3 he moved on to the flute.

It taught him how to read music and fingering for the flute.

One of the key advantages for me was if he was a bit clumsy and dropped it or otherwise didn't treat it with respect it wasn't going to break. There is a limit to how careful a reception age child will be.

4 is a bit young, but my Yr 2 has started guitar (on a three quarter size, although you canget half size I think). It's portable, cheap, nice to listen to in the house, theycan progress quite quickly - and be in a rock band later on. What's not to like? !

If she is particularly keen on wind inst, go for recorder. But not before taking her to an insts. Of the orchestra concert! DD's music teachers youngest chose violin at the age of 3 & is now at music college. Important she finds her inst though

My ds started the clarinet when he was 4. We got him a kinderklari which is designed for little people. He could read the music within a few months and played simple tunes quickly. He then slowed down for a while but now aged 8 is starting to sound really good and has just got a proper Bb one.
Dd is 5 and got a ukulele and loves it.

Other 2 DCs started on guitar and eldest who is 11 is now playing flute as well

Why not have a look at Suzuki. His main idea was that children should learn to play an instrument as naturally as they learn language, so the emphasis is first on learning to play before learning to read music.
I think violin and paino are the main instruments taught by Suzuki method.

There is a lot of parental help involved, but could no more have the accusation of "tiger mother" than someone talking to their child to get them to pick up language.

I'm another who would suggest ukelele. DD1 helps in an early years group and said that they are producing recogniseable sounds pretty much from the off.

Thankyou all for the responses; clearly I am completely ignorant of flute (as a mediocre piano player myself) and hadn't even considered the arm length thing. She wants to play something different from DS so has (currently) discounted strings. She reads (English) pretty well but does not yet read music. So we're going to go for recorder to start with and then see how she goes.
many thanks!

Having lived thro' my kids playing the violin, trumpet and clarinet, may I suggest the triangle for your own sanity.

If she has her heart set on the flute, you could try starting with a fife. It is about the size of a recorder and has the same fingering, but it has the embouchure (mouthpiece technique) of a flute - ie you hold the flute to the right and blow across the hole. My daughter started on this (cos I woouldn't give her her flute until her birthday!) and she is doing really well.

www.amazon.co.uk/Yamaha-YRF-21-YRF21-Fife/dp/B0002F5F9O/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1340638200&sr=8-2