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Location: Life here is not an Apollo Mission. Everyone calm down.
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My daughter has played violin in our school district for seven years. I like the community of orchestra and the opportunities. They've taken trips to Germany, New York City, and Scotland this Spring.
Both instruments ensure better math and science grades.
I would look into the strings program in your school district. Why not violin in school and piano privately?
I would start with the violin. It will develop the ear better. If the child doesn't have a good "ear", taking music lessons won't help. Drums would work better.
Now, my personal history shows what a mistake starting with the piano can be. I started at the age of 7. My hands were small even then. Even as an adult, I can barely reach an octive. All the time, money and energy were wasted. I would never be able to play well. My hands were too small.
Also, my "ear" is not the greatest. I can hear one note melody well, but the harmonics of chords (which you need for piano) is not as good as could be. Therefore, I can play something and tell that it's not correct, but I can't tell what note is incorrect.
I think that I could have played a violin better than I can play piano. I would have LOVED to had played a bass.
I have two kids that play piano, not only is it the instrument but also the teacher. Our first teacher played favorites with my son who is 3 1/2 yrs. older then my daughter everything comes easy to him. My daughter struggled for awhile, lots of tears the teacher expected her to be as good as her older brother. Long story short found a new teacher and I just can't believe how much better she is doing and now loves to practice.
Good Luck - I love to hear my kids play anytime of day.
I would start with the violin. It will develop the ear better. If the child doesn't have a good "ear", taking music lessons won't help. Drums would work better.
Now, my personal history shows what a mistake starting with the piano can be. I started at the age of 7. My hands were small even then. Even as an adult, I can barely reach an octive. All the time, money and energy were wasted. I would never be able to play well. My hands were too small.
Also, my "ear" is not the greatest. I can hear one note melody well, but the harmonics of chords (which you need for piano) is not as good as could be. Therefore, I can play something and tell that it's not correct, but I can't tell what note is incorrect.
I think that I could have played a violin better than I can play piano. I would have LOVED to had played a bass.
Just to set your mind at ease, if you have small hands playing the violin wouldn't be easier then playing the piano, especially if your pinky is short. You would not have done very well playing the bass with small hands either.
Piano, cause then they can get a keyboard and put that in their room and attach headphones to it (no noise). And also enables them to make all kinds of neat music with those programmable keyboards with different sounds.
As a kid, I played the violin and the piano. Let's see .... piano for 2 years (3rd and 4th grade I think) and the violin all through middle school and high school.
There were several of my friends that played both a string instrument and the piano. It's great b'c when we went to UIL (music compeititons) and needed piano accompaniment, it was neat to practice with your classmates.
I am partial to the violin because I think it's a beautiful instrument but the piano, IMO, is harder because it's almost like learning/playing two instruments - your right hand and left hand. Integrating the two takes a lot of concentration!
If you can afford it, why not let the kid learn both and they can decide later for themselves? Also, you can start them on piano lessons and then when they get to school, if the school has an orchestra program, they can join the orchestra and learn the violin then w/o the cost of a private tutor (or lower cost if there's a school discount).
I think it's great that you want your kids to play an instrument. It really teaches kids discipline and self-worth, IMO. I know I had a great time learning it (even though I hated going ot lessons!).
Just to set your mind at ease, if you have small hands playing the violin wouldn't be easier then playing the piano, especially if your pinky is short. You would not have done very well playing the bass with small hands either.
LOL .... golfgal, I have a hideously small pinky and you are right, it totally sucked!!!!
I. Pearlman is a big man with big hands and plays the violin. It's the musician, not the instrument that makes good music!
My husband plays viola and piano. (Viola is his primary instrument.) His advice is always to let the child select whatever instrument they are drawn to.
well said !
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