Disclosure – this is a collaborative post.
When my eldest started showing a flicker of interest in music, I had absolutely no idea where to start. I’m not musical at all — my husband can hold a tune but I sound like a strangled cat — so the whole world of instruments felt a bit overwhelming. Recorder? Keyboard? One of those tiny ukuleles that look so cute but sound oddly tragic in inexperienced hands?
If you’re in the same boat, I thought I’d share what we considered, and why we eventually landed on a piano.
The recorder
Every parent’s classic first instrument because it’s cheap and most schools teach it. The downside? It is LOUD. And not in a particularly nice way. We had a brief recorder phase in our house and I confess I hid it in the airing cupboard for “safekeeping”. I do not feel sorry.
The ukulele
We actually really enjoyed the ukulele as a starter. They’re small, affordable, and you can pick up basic chords quickly. If your child is more drawn to singing along to songs, this is a brilliant option. The only thing for us was that my eldest wanted something she could play more “proper” pieces on, and the uke felt limiting after a while.
The keyboard
We had a basic keyboard in the house for years, picked up second-hand. It was perfect for letting the girls noodle about and work out whether they actually liked pressing keys before we committed to anything bigger. I’d really recommend going down this route first. It’s a low-cost way to test the waters and you’ll quickly tell whether it’s a passing fad or a real interest.
The violin
Honestly? We didn’t seriously consider it. A friend’s daughter learnt and the squeaky early months nearly drove her round the bend. A brave choice for braver parents than me!
Why we landed on the piano
After about a year of keyboard noodling, it became clear my eldest was genuinely enjoying it and wanted proper lessons. At that point we started looking at actual pianos. The thing about a piano vs a keyboard is that the touch and feel is so different — weighted keys, proper pedals, a real sound — and it makes a huge difference once a child is past the very beginner stage.
We looked at both acoustic uprights and digital pianos. Acoustic is gorgeous but takes up space, needs tuning, and can be pricey. We ended up leaning towards a digital piano because:
- The kids can practise with headphones (huge win for my sanity)
- No tuning required
- Volume control (again, sanity)
- They don’t dominate a room
We did a lot of looking around and ended up browsing the digital pianos at Broughton Pianos, a family-run dealer in the Midlands with a massive range. What really sold it for me is that they also do rental from around £21 a week — which is brilliant if, like me, you’ve got a lingering “but what if they give up in six months?” worry rattling around in your head.
My honest advice
Start cheap. A second-hand keyboard or a beginner’s ukulele will tell you so much about whether your child actually enjoys playing. If they stick with it for six to twelve months, then start thinking about upgrading. A piano is a lovely investment because it genuinely grows with them — from tinkling out Twinkle Twinkle right up to grade exams and (if you’re lucky) some lovely Sunday-afternoon background music in years to come.
And if it doesn’t work out? Well, at least it’s a lot quieter than a recorder.
Disclosure – this is a collaborative post.
