upright piano

[Jane Maria]

As a parent, I am certain that that you are dumbfounded by the sheer quantity of musical toys on the market. All of us like the idea of introducing our youngsters to music, but which instruments should we buy? Does my 3-year-old child really desire a $300 guitar? As an expert musician and dad of a kid who's currently coping with this issue, I'm going to try to greatly simplify the procedure for you personally in a way that can save you money without compromising your child's musical explorations. My emphasis is going to be on presenting cool (wood, handmade, Fair Trade, Eco-Friendly) alternatives to the cheesy plastic instruments sold at most toy stores. I love the idea of finding instruments with stamina -- ones which have the potential to be played for a lifetime assuming they survive the toddler years - or at least can be saved as keepsakes. That toy drum adorned with popular cartoon characters is not going have much use after age 5, and is destined for a landfill upright piano

The very first thing I'm going to accomplish is separate musical toys from musical instruments. For clarity, I'm defining a drum as any device that has a primary correlation between a child's action and pitch. Like, hitting a drum, plucking a line, striking a vital, or blowing air through everything cause a tone or pitch being produced. I will even go one step further and say that there must be some way to play a genuine melody (note for note) on the toy in a way that resembles a real drum (excluding drums and percussion instruments like shakers). This really is difficult to set up words, nonetheless it will end up clear as you read on.

Working using this definition, most Musical Tables, and Toy Guitars without strings and a lot of flashy buttons don't qualify as musical instruments. I'm not saying that these toys are bad or useless (purists will vehemently disagree) - simply they are not musical instruments. We have an activity table that I thought I'd hate, but as I observed my son discovering more things onto it and "commanding it", I begun to see some value. At 2, he may make it play the 'Counting to Ten Song' and the 'Alphabet Song' as he sang along. Nevertheless, we try to help keep the flashy battery operated toys to a minimum.

I will mention that a few of the alternative instruments are handmade and imported. A few of the retailers screen the merchandise to ensure that they're not manufactured with toxic materials. If you have questions or concerns about a certain instrument, please contact the store directly before buying.

I will also mention this article is meant to be small guide to get you started on your search. Obviously, there's no way to cover every drum available on the market, but hopefully my research can save you a lot of time and will allow you to make sound buying decisions (pun intended).

Avoiding Frustration could be the Key
For kids under age 5, music should be exactly about play and the joy of discovery. You don't desire to frustrate your child by introducing a musical instrument beyond their capabilities. Naturally, every child is going to vary in terms of developmental abilities, and you will have to discern whether a certain instrument is too advanced. In this case, you can just put the instrument away and try again in six months or perhaps a year.

Percussion Instruments for Kids
Well-known place to begin is with percussion instruments (shakers, drums, tambourines, etc...) because they are the absolute most primal and the absolute most capable of providing instant gratification. However, most parents are unaware of the alternatives to the kiddie plastic stuff on the toy isles. Remo Percussion includes a cool line called "Remo Kids Percussion", and Meinl Percussion has a youngster line called "Nino Percussion" that has the most effective instruments within my opinion. The Nino product line definitely has stamina as instruments and keepsakes. Jamtown is a superb source for more eclectic Fair Trade instruments with a great line of handmade shakers and drums which are definitely keepsake worthy.

Plan Toys can be an environmentally conscious company that makes its toys from recycled rubber wood and colored eco-friendly dyes. They get big points for this. However, most of the instruments won't have much use beyond the toddler years. Their toy instruments are generally more for the ages 1 - 3, and my personal favorite one could be the Solid Wood Drum. It can produce three different tones and is a superb exemplory instance of an early instrument that can be played for a while. It can be a nice keepsake.

Depending on the child, drum sets often require motor skills beyond a toddler's capabilities to be played properly. However, if your child is attracted to a drum set by all means do it - especially when a member of family already plays the drums and can instruct your child on the basics.

And let's not forget that empty boxes and pots and pans make great drums as well!

Also in the realm of percussion are pitched percussion instruments such as for example toy pianos, xylophones, and glockenspiels. These make great instruments for toddlers since there is a primary correlation between action and pitch, and they only require the motor skills of touching or striking. The thing to be cautious about in this area is that there are many available on the market which are not tuned (the notes don't correlate to a scale) -- making them noise makers as opposed to instruments. The easiest way to analyze this really is to see the comments from online retail sites. The feedback from parents in this area is invaluable, and the cost difference between tuned and un-tuned is negligible.

Finally, my personal favorite percussion instrument for kids could be the Kalimba. The Kalimba can be an African instrument that is played by plucking the tines or keys with the thumbs. It's also called a Thumb Piano or Mbira. You will find lots of import versions of Kalimbas online, but most of them don't claim to be child friendly and consistency/quality seems to be always a big issue. I list a couple of good sources on my site. The Kalimba is another great exemplory instance of a musical instrument with staying power. You'll manage to play it for a lifetime.

Wind Instruments for Children
Purchasing a wind instrument for kids under age 5 is just a little tricky because you want to be certain they have the lung capacity and are old enough to understand the concept. Unlike simply striking a percussive instrument and creating a tone, wind instruments require your child to blow and finger at exactly the same time. Consequently, most wind instruments are recommended for kids over age 3. Here again, I believe you are able to introduce it sooner especially when a member of family happens to play a wind instrument.

Unfortunately, you will find few alternatives to the cheesy plastic versions of trumpets, saxophones, and clarinets simply because the legitimate versions are beyond the abilities on most kids under 5. Additionally, the true versions could possibly create problems together with your child's developing mouth and facial structure.

Hip alternatives include the Suling flute and Ocarinas sold by Jamtown. They are recommended for kids over age 3. I bought both of these for my 2 1/2 year old son, and they were definitely too advanced for him. I'll try again when he turns 3.

Harmonicas may also be popular wind instruments for kids, and they're tuned to a certain scale so there are no "wrong notes" ;.Hohner has been making Harmonicas for 150 years and is a good place to start.

String Instruments for Kids
String instruments are in fact quite challenging for kids under age 5 so you want to be mindful not to introduce them too early. Guitars and violins require a kid to accomplish two actions simultaneously to make a melody: fret the string with one hand while strumming, plucking, or bowing the string with the other. They also require a fair quantity of finger strength. Finally, even if your child can manage the first two actions, creating a musically pleasing tone is not easy.

For this reason, guitars and violins are not instruments that a lot of children under 4 can get started on their own. They really require some kind of formal instruction, either privately or in a group upright piano.