Best First Instrument: Piano

Looking for an instrument to kickstart your child's music education?  Whether it is because your child has shown interest/talent in music or you understand all the benefits of learning music to a child's future success or both; this post will talk about some of the reasons why piano is the best instrument to start your child's music lessons with.

Before we get into the specifics, let's talk about why piano is just an awesome instrument. Even though it's not without its limitations--we'll get into this in another post in the future--it's definitely the most versatile instrument, not to mention the BIGGEST (except the organ or course).

The piano has a huge range of notes from high to low. In fact, its range is so wide, its lowest note goes below the lowest instrument of an orchestra and its highest note goes above the highest note.

Along with its wide melodic range, the piano also has an incredible dynamic (volume) range. It is soft enough to accompany the softest instruments without overpowering, yet loud enough to be heard above a full orchestra. 

Here's the kicker, the piano is one of only a handful of instruments capable of playing melody and accompaniment at the same time. 

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So besides the awesomeness of the instrument itself, what are some reasons for choosing the piano as a starting instrument in music lessons?

If you've been blessed with a neighbor or family member who've learned a string instrument or a wind instrument, do you remember when they first started learning? How did they sound as a beginner? Yes, if you've had this experience you already know where I'm going with this. Piano is the easiest instrument to sound good at right from the beginning, lowering frustration levels for the student and the people around them. I know because I learned the violin too and I've been to my share of violin recitals and band concerts. This advantage for piano is actually both a blessing and a curse--especially when you reach the advanced levels. 

The piano is also an instrument you don't need to tune yourself everytime you practice. I still remember orchestra in elementary school and middle school, every rehearsal begin with the teacher tuning everyone's instruments. 

Speaking of tuning, piano lessons from a young age gives your child the best chances of developing "perfect pitch" before the window for developing the ability shuts. Perfect pitch is ability to identify any given pitch and it's correlating musical note, whether it's plucking pitches out of ordinary noises in our environment or pitches in a tune. This ability is a huge advantage for a student whether they are playing another instrument or singing a song. 

Now say your child is at the grade level where they get to choose another instrument to participate in the school orchestra or band; their prior piano experience gives them a tremendous head start in whatever instrument they choose because they've had experience reading both the treble clef and the bass clef, most instruments read one of the other. 

Lastly, learning the piano provides a great foundation for learning other instruments because it teaches the basics of music theory, note reading, scales, and musical terms. This is especially if your piano teacher's philosophy believes in a comprehensive music education.

What do you think? If you have any more to add to this list or you disagree with some of these points, leave a comment below!

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