Everybody wants their seven-year-old to be the next musical prodigy, so it makes sense to try and find the best instrument for them to learn to get them started off as soon as possible. We all know that paying for lessons are going to pay off, right?
So, what are the best instruments for a seven year old kid to learn? Well, combining simplicity, cost, and personality, these are the instruments that a seven year old kid would be most likely to excel at:
- Ukulele
- Piano
- Percussion
- Trumpet
Once you chose an instrument for your child, you’re also going to have to decide how they are going to learn it and where they are going to get it from. We’re going to talk about that below, as well as go into detail about each instrument specifically. Buckle up.
Ukulele
This is the instrument that plays softly in the background of everybody’s dream vacation. It brings up images of gentle waves, warm sun rays, and a gorgeous member of the opposite gender walking up the beach towards you.
The ukulele is a great beginner instrument because it can lead to learning how to play different instruments like the guitar or any other stringed instrument.
You can buy a ukulele for about $20 on Amazon, so it’s simple and cheap to buy. Ukuleles are also small, so they are perfect for small, seven-year-old hands and fingers.
Because they are so small, ukuleles can be easily taken on family trips and transported to lessons and recitals. It makes it easy to practice anywhere so your child can stay on top of their developing skill.
A ukulele has four nylon strings that you strum or pluck to create cords and notes. The nylon is a great starter material for younger kids, as it is softer on their fingers and won’t hurt them as much.
With only four strings to keep track of, learning the ukulele won’t take too long and is relatively easy.
Piano
The piano is probably the hardest out of this list for a seven-year-old to learn. It has so many keys that learning the different notes can become overwhelming. Coordinating both hands at once can also be difficult.
Buying a piano is also expensive and you will be hard pressed to find a way to transport it easily. If you are going to be traveling, you’re going to need to make sure that there will be a piano where ever you are going if you want your child to be able to practice.
Buying a keyboard is a slightly cheaper and easier way to go about learning the piano. However, you will end up sacrificing some quality if you chose to go the keyboard route.
You can find one for just over $100 on Amazon. You’re going to want to be careful buying cheap because the more expensive ones always have better sound. It’s your choice where you find a happy medium.
Despite all of the extra work that has to go into obtaining, learning, and practicing a piano, it is totally worth it. Learning piano gives your child the most in-depth foundation when it comes to music. Once you can read sheet music for piano, you can read music for any other instrument.
Plus, will all of the notes set out in front of them, it’s easier for your child to play the right ones. You also don’t have to tune a piano (much), especially if you have an electric keyboard. So instead of having to worry about tone, pitch, and the right note, kids only have to think about the right note.
Percussion
With percussion, your kid won’t have to worry about learning any notes whatsoever (that is, until they get to percussion instruments with notes on them like a xylophone or a timpani). Plus, it’s always fun to hit things.
There are a couple ways you could go about helping your child learn percussion. You can teach them the kit (drum set), start teaching them instruments you would find in a marching band drum line, start small with just a snare, or even start them on piano.
If you start them on piano, that gives them a huge leg up when it comes time for them to learn the keyed instruments in the percussion section, like the xylophone, marimba, bells, chimes, and vibraphone.
This skill will be extremely useful if your kid starts playing in middle and high school bands.
Drum sets are the most popular and common ways to play percussion. They are expensive, and you will end up having to buy multiple sets as your child outgrows their kit. You can get a good quality junior drum kit for $169.95 on Amazon.
If your kid can play the drum set well, then they will be useful in school jazz bands, pep bands, local ensembles, or they could even start their own band.
If you don’t feel like buying a kit, or at least you just want to hold off until your kid is big enough to play a standard kit (that way you don’t have to buy so many sets as they grow up), you can just start off your kid on a snare.
That will allow them to learn the fundamentals and then transition smoothly. You can buy a snare, stand, practice pad, sticks, and stick bag for $89.99 on Amazon.
Trumpet
Trumpets are an attractive instrument to children because, honestly, they are shiny and loud. What more could you ask for?
Trumpets only have three keys, so it is easy and simple to learn the notes. I know it only took me a day.
With a wind instrument like a trumpet, there are a lot more things you have to keep track of in order to play it. You have to focus on your mouth, your breathing and your fingers.
You could play out of tune or run out of breath. If you don’t blow right or shape your lips correctly, your note will come out wrong.
Trumpets are fairly cheap and easy to transport places. You also only need one size. You can buy one for around $100 on Amazon.
People are attracted to trumpets because they fit into just about any music genre. Classical, chorals, jazz, even pop. If your kid gets really good at the trumpet, they’ll have a lot of opportunities ahead of them.
Learning the Instrument
There are a couple different ways that you can get your kid the instruction they need to get good at their instrument.
- Local Lessons- There are probably flyers on random poles around town with rip off tags bearing the number of a local expert willing to impart their knowledge. Lessons are typically expensive, but it provides helpful one on one time. Taking lessons also means that you will have to travel to their place of business, so transporting instruments might be an issue. Also, signing your child up for lessons with a stranger poses obvious dangers.
- Church- A lot of kids in my hometown took piano lessons from one of the gals in our church. She charged less and she always put on a little private recital. It was nice because we knew her really well and we got one on one time.
- Agency- This is a safer version of local lessons, though perhaps a more expensive one. If you go through an agency, you know that the instructor you are getting is vetted and approved. Agencies also typically put on recitals.
- School Bands- Enrolling your child in band, orchestra, or any other music class is the easiest, cheapest, and, in my opinion, the best way to ensure that they get proper instruction. They don’t get one on one time, but they do get a teacher who knows how to teach and how to play. There are concerts, daily group practices, and access to instruments.
- Yourself- If you know how to play an instrument, it might be advantageous to teach your kid that instrument yourself. They get one on one instruction from someone the trust, and it’s free. You also have more control over how and when they practice.
- Online- You can learn things like chords, notes, and tutorials for free by going to Google or YouTube. You can also get free sheet music online.
Related Questions
When can I start teaching my kid an instrument? Kids can start to learn instruments at as young as three years old. This helps them start to develop comprehension and fine motor skills. However, don’t expect them to start getting really good at their instrument for another couple of years.
What is the hardest instrument to learn? The violin is hard to learn because you have to get bow technique just right, and if you play it wrong, the resulting sound can be disastrous.
