It’s that time of year. :) If you haven’t quite finished your Christmas shopping yet and would like to consider some musical instruments as gifts, I have a few recommendations for you.
In general, you’ll find that instruments sold in a kit marketed towards young children are not going to hold up well, and, generally speaking, don’t make the beautiful musical sounds. Quality instruments made by makers such as Nino, Hohner, and Remo tend to make much better music and hold up better to use throughout the years.
I’ve compiled a list of instruments that have held up well in our home for the past few years, as well as a couple recent discoveries. Next week, I’ll do another post with resources for learning about composers and music history.
approx. $45
M received this for Christmas when he was almost 5. I would say it’s best for ages 4 and up. You’ll need a reference for keeping it in tune - a piano or even a smartphone with a tuning app.
approx. $50
Little Miss A received this last Christmas at 19 months old. It was an instant hit. Because it is based on the pentatonic scale it is not possible to play dissonant notes. They can, however, still play loudly :) This is an instrument we keep out at all times in our living room and is played by adults and kids alike as they pass.
approx. $30
Remo makes great drums for kids. They sound just as nice played with a mallet as they do played with hands - a great, mellow sound. They make them in several sizes and price points.
approx. $25
Who doesn’t want to play a wooden frog? Actually makes a ribbit sound!
approx. $8 for 4 eggs
We’ve had these for a number of years in our home. They’ve been great for pleasant music making….and held up to being chucked across the room :)
approx. $4 for a pair
For the youngest musicians, these are basically shaky eggs with a handle. They come in several colors. We have red ones that are used in the preschool music class.
approx. $20 (can get them for less at Oriental Trading)
These are similar to what we use in the preschool class. They also double as great ninja headbands :) We do have some of these at home, but have actually gotten more use out of play silks I dyed with Kool-aid a while back.
approx. $6 for pair
A simple, clear sounding instrument.
approx. $9 - many price points available
We actually don’t have one of these at home, but I just added a couple to our co-op collection recently. There are many styles and types available on Amazon. I think they’re a great sounding instrument that looks interesting and will fit in nicely in a home environment.
approx. $50 for 8 bell set, approx. $135 for 20 bell set
This is a link to the 8 bell set. We’ve had a set of handbells for a few years, but they always make me so nervous that someone is going to get clocked in the head as the kids swing them. These are great because they can be used as either desk bells or handbells. Right now, all 3 kids, ages 2 1/2 to 7 1/2 are VERY interested in them, and I don’t see that interest fading soon. I actually ended up ordering the 20 note set because they were trying to play songs they knew and needed a wider range of notes to play the full melodies. You can also start with the 8 note set and add the expansion sets separately as the kids get older.
Do you have any winning instruments around your house that you can share with us?
