Choosing your first instrument

Parents usually ask us which instrument is easiest. We never answer that. We ask: how loud is your home, how patient is your child, and what music makes them sit very still?

An eight-year-old who lights up at film scores wants piano or violin. The same age who taps their foot through every song is a drummer. Don't fight the signal.

Practical notes: piano needs the most floor space; drums need the most ear-protection from siblings; violin needs the most patience in the first year. None of those are reasons to avoid them — just things to plan for.