As a parent, I am sure that you are dumbfounded by the sheer amount of musical toys on the market. We all like the idea of introducing our kids to music, but which instruments should we buy? Does my 3-year-old child really need a $300 guitar? As a professional musician and dad of a toddler who is currently dealing with this issue, I am going to try to greatly simplify the process for you in a way that will save you money without compromising your child’s musical explorations. My emphasis will armenian flute duduk on presenting cool (wood, handmade, Fair Trade, Eco-Friendly) alternatives to the cheesy plastic instruments sold at most toy stores. I like the idea of finding instruments with staying power — ones that have the potential to be played for a lifetime assuming that they survive the toddler years – or at least can be saved as keepsakes. That toy drum adorned with popular cartoon characters is not going have much use after age 5, and is destined for a landfill.
The first thing I am going to do is separate musical toys from musical instruments. For clarity, I am defining a musical instrument as any device that has a direct correlation between a child’s action and pitch. For example, hitting a drum, plucking a string, striking a key, or blowing air through it all result in a tone or pitch being produced. I will even go one step further and say that there must be some way to play an actual melody (note for note) on the toy in a way that resembles a real musical instrument (excluding drums and percussion instruments like shakers). This is difficult to put in words, but it will become very clear as you read on.
Working from this definition, most Musical Tables, and Toy Guitars with no strings and lots of flashy buttons do not qualify as musical instruments. I am not saying that these toys are bad or useless (purists will vehemently disagree) – simply that they are not musical instruments. We have an activity table that I thought I would hate, but as I observed my son discovering more things on it and “commanding it”, I began to see some value. At 2, he could make it play the ‘Counting to Ten Song’ and the ‘Alphabet Song’ as he sang along. Nevertheless, we try to keep the flashy battery operated toys to a minimum.
I should mention that some of the alternative instruments are handmade and imported. A few of the retailers screen the products to make sure that they are not manufactured with toxic materials. If you have questions or concerns about a particular instrument, please contact the store directly before buying.
I should also mention that this article is only meant to be small guide to get you started on your search. Obviously, there is no way to cover every musical instrument on the market, but hopefully my research will save you a lot of time and will help you make sound buying decisions (pun intended).
Avoiding Frustration is the Key
For children under the age of 5, music should be all about play and the joy of discovery. You don’t want to frustrate your child by introducing an instrument beyond their capabilities. Naturally, every child is going to be different in terms of developmental abilities, and you will have to discern whether a particular instrument is too advanced. In this case, you can simply put the instrument away and try again in six months or a year.