Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Your Child's First Musical Instrument

Many school systems have cut or reduced the musical instrument programs from the curriculum. Cost of education is an important consideration, but what is it costing us in terms of the future of music? Can we afford their ignorance of the tools that create the beautiful sounds we all love?

Ask anyone who's been playing a musical instrument for some time, and I'll be every one of them can tell you about their first beginner's instrument. Some are horror stories, some are good, but you'll always remember your first instrument. So where do you start?

Use the resources you have available to you when making buying decisions about a beginner's instrument. If it's your child's first musical instrument, it is a good idea to talk to his or her band director for input and advice on where to purchase this very special instrument.

One of the most important things you can do when planning your child's musical career is work very carefully to pick the best beginner's musical instrument for him or her. Hand me downs don't work, nor do buying inferior instruments in order to save money. It's difficult to mentally justify spending a large quantity of money on an instrument that you aren't sure your child will even want to touch 6 months from now. Yet if your child learns to play well and loves his or her musical instrument, you will find that this is money that is very well spent. Bad habits learned on poor instruments can cause your child major grief down the road.

Buying the right musical instrument for your child means everything when it comes to your child's musical future. By buying a substandard instrument, you are creating an unnecessary challenge for your child. Learning a new instrument is difficult enough in and of itself without the added challenge of a musical instrument that isn't well made, has wires bent, pads missing, (the list can go on and on). If you are going to buy a musical instrument for your child and invest time and energy on lessons and getting them to and from lessons, you may as well buy the best quality instrument you can get for the money.

And that doesn't mean just going online and reading reviews of the available instrument. What is good for one child may not be so good for another. Instead enlist the help of another human who is experienced. Twenty years ago that would have sounded like a no brainer. But now with the internet we've lost some of that personal touch. Don't lose it here. It will lead to a costly mistake.

If your child is participating in a school band program (or even taking private lessons) the director of his or her band will probably be a great source of information and advice on the best place to purchase a musical instrument. A good supplier will encourage children to try out the instruments (with a watchful eye of course) and offer advice and recommendations that have to do with the size of your child, the development of your child (many musical instruments have different requirements), they will listen to your child's wishes and help them come to an understanding of why certain musical instruments are or are not a good idea for him or her at this point in time.

By following the advice of your local band director about where to purchase your child's musical instrument you can generally feel confident that you are not only going to be purchasing a good quality beginner's instrument for your child, but that you and your child will be treated with respect. This will leave you feeling confident and give your child a great start with his instrument.

Purchasing your child's first musical instrument doesn't have to be a trying time. Find a good retailer and let them explain each step of the buying process to you and help you and your child find the instrument that will fit his or her growing body and personal preference best.

The absolute worst thing you can do is go through the process without any help. And why would you do that when there are plenty of resources available to guide you and your child through each step of the process.

Sometimes it is hard to pay for football and musical instruments. But is the trade-off worth it? All but the very few will stop playing football after leaving college. There is no age limit on music appreciation. If we stop training new musicians, our world will grow ever more silent.


http://www.musicalinstrumentsonline.net/First_Musical_Instrument.html