Anonymous
09/19/2025 23:41
Subject: Pick musical instrument
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:If you are looking at strings, I highly recommend Pottter Violins. It's by far the best place and she can try out violas.
Is she looking at band instruments at all?
What are band instruments? Tell me more about it? Id that for MS or HS? Required class or extra curricular activity?
In ES you have a choice of string instruments (usually violin, viola, or cello) or band instruments (there are more here and vary by school — but almost always include flute, clarinet, trumpet, and saxophone). My older kid loves band and my younger one orchestra — but kids generally start band instruments later because they need lung capacity, so with practice your kid can likely do well in the instrument despite not starting until late ES. With strings, some kids start early (every before K) so there are some really good players by the time 4th grade rolls around.
Anonymous
09/19/2025 22:28
Subject: Pick musical instrument
Orchestra director here-- please, for the love of God, put your kid on viola. We need more violists.
(Your child will have better odds at placing into higher-level groups and winning scholarships on viola, too!)
(Your child will have better odds at placing into higher-level groups and winning scholarships on viola, too!)
Anonymous
09/19/2025 13:58
Subject: Pick musical instrument
I have one cello and one viola player in my family.
They liked their deeper-voiced instruments.
It's true that violins get all the fancy parts but there are also way too many of them.
Viola players are often in demand because they are rare.
My kid viola player's orchestra teacher is also a viola player as his core instrument.
The clefs are not that big a deal. Orchestra class includes instruction on how to relate the different clefs.
They liked their deeper-voiced instruments.
It's true that violins get all the fancy parts but there are also way too many of them.
Viola players are often in demand because they are rare.
My kid viola player's orchestra teacher is also a viola player as his core instrument.
The clefs are not that big a deal. Orchestra class includes instruction on how to relate the different clefs.
Anonymous
09/19/2025 13:42
Subject: Pick musical instrument
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Is alto clef more difficult to learn than to read treble clef?
I'm the one who posted above about the alto clef. I am far from an expert! But I don't think it's an issue so much of difficulty, as of uniqueness. Treble and bass clef are used across many instruments. Alto isn't. So a kid who begins their music-reading experience with alto and then switches to nearly any other instrument at another point in time will have to re-learn how to read the sheet music-- it won't just be intuitive-- and that could be sort of a pain, or at least it was for my fourth grader when she began viola after a few years of piano lessons. A frustration we hadn't anticipated and could have avoided if she hadn't chosen that instrument.
Alto isn’t any easier or harder — just a difference of where middle C lives (alto is actually the most logical in my opinion because middle c is in the middle!). Once you advance in viola you also need to read treble and switch between the two.
— violist who started on violin but loved the viola so much more
Anonymous
09/19/2025 13:24
Subject: Pick musical instrument
Anonymous wrote:Is alto clef more difficult to learn than to read treble clef?
No, it's just less common. My cello player has to read in bass, tenor, and treble clefs for some pieces and they learn to adjust.
Anonymous
09/19/2025 13:24
Subject: Pick musical instrument
Anonymous wrote:Don't overthink it. If she is leaning toward viola, then choose viola. This is one of the few choices that it's 100% ok for a 4th grader to make on their own.
This. I think she can change instruments but it ultimately will depend on teacher. MS students are not required to take music. If she doesn’t like it, she could stop.