Piano is an excellent choice as a starter instrument for young children, as it offers a clear visual representation to keys, scales, and chords that can help children learn the basics of music theory. Piano also helps students improve their hand muscles and hand-eye coordination, as it uses both the left and right hands equally, and it offers great practice opportunities in rhythms and counting. Students can greatly improve their pitch by learning piano as well, since unlike the string instruments, you can be pretty sure that when you’re playing the right notes, the pitch is going to sound exactly like it’s supposed to sound.

Keys are also extremely versatile in style and genre, used in classical music, pop, jazz, rock, and — well, just about every genre out there can use piano or keys in some form or another!

Students who learn piano first will often have an easier time picking up other instruments later than those who haven’t studied piano.

We recommend full-size electronic pianos with weighted keys for a real piano sound and feel if you’re able to make that happen, but for home practice, there are plenty of affordable options to fit any budget or footprint. Ask your teacher for recommendations, or check reviews online. Unlike the stringed instruments, it’s not too hard to find good keyboards sight unseen as long as you go with a reputable brand.