Tips To Consider When Instrument Shopping

What brand? Brand New? Used? How Much? Should I buy the best? These are a few of the questions some parents have asked in regards of purchasing an instrument for their student.

At a beginner’s level, I usually don’t recommend the purchase of the best and most expensive instrument of its kind. A parent does not need to purchase a 17^th Century Stradivarius violin for his 5 year old son. I once had a student whose parent purchased a $12,000 beautiful baby grand piano, when his child was only 6 years old taking group-piano lessons. The child ended up wanting to quit lessons in less than a year, and the parent was discouraged with his inability to motivate his son to continue lessons! My recommendation is to purchase a used or cheaper instrument. Allow your child to take lessons for at least a year, and then together, make the decision of purchasing a better quality instrument if your child continues to have a desire to play that particular instrument. 

Three questions to ask yourself when purchasing an instrument:

1) How much am I willing to spend?

2) What is my child’s level of commitment?

3) What is the intended length of time that this instrument will serve? With younger children, they may have to start with a smaller size in instruments (violin, cello, etc.). Therefore, it would not be wise to purchase something expensive that your child will eventually grow out of. 

Tips when purchasing an instrument:

1.     Include your child’s music teacher in the process.

2.     Deal with a specialist who is familiar with that particular instrument.

3.     You get what you pay for.