My 8 year old daughter seems to be developing an interest in music and spends a bit of time when she is at my house trying to play simple songs such as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on my digital piano. She is doing music lessons at school, the instrument seems to vary, she has a school issue recorder she takes home to practice and she tells me she also learns songs on the piano.
I would like to get her a piano/keyboard for Christmas but am unsure what to look for. On one hand I’m thinking something with light up keys that can help her learn songs would be good but I suspect they wouldn’t have weighted keys. On the other hand are weighted keys important at this stage? I’m thinking they are if she ever wants to get half serious about it.
I’m not sure what brands I should look at. When I think light-up keys, I think Casio, but when I think Casio I also think low quality. I’ve never owned or played a Casio keyboard so I have no idea if my preconceptions are accurate. What other brands can I look at that have decent educational keyboards?
The budget depends on whether her mother is interested in putting in towards it. $500 AUD at the most.
Yamaha has one for $180. Anything cheaper would be a toy. Yamaha has a good reputation for pianos. I’d suggest finding it in stock locally and playing it. See how the keys respond and how it sounds.
Yamaha offers these pianos at various price points. The next model is $280 and it’s a 76 key. A nice digital piano can cost a $1000. Whatever people can afford to spend.
I got a Casio Privia for me and my two daughters. The model I have is several years old but it’s basically the 88 key weighted action portable model. I think it’s around $500 online. I got the 88 key model more for me but I wouldn’t get anything less than 76 keys. It’s a drag when you’re on your 60-something key keyboard and you go for a note and it’s not there, which seems to happen more often in the bass registers.
I send all beginners to the Casio Privia, but I think they are going to be a little above your budget.
In the last 5 years or so, Casio has re-vamped their image and are a respected brand in the electronic piano world, particularly if you look at value for your money.
I think that your best bet is a Casio or Yamaha 76 key instrument. Make sure it has built in speakers, stay away from too many lights/bells/whistles (generally they are useless distractions), and you’re good to go.
I got a $200 casio ten years ago with weighted keys (no light up keys). It still plays great, no problems and very easy to move.
For an 8 yr old though trying out multiple instruments at school? I’d probably just wait and see if she’s still interested in 6 months before shelling out any real money. Better that than becoming the cliche of pressuring a kid into piano lessons they dislike but are too afraid to quit and disappoint you.
Unless you want a nice keyboard for yourself that your daughter could also learn on if she’s interested.
I got a plastic Yamaha ‘beater’ for myself a couple years ago and like it alright. It is a PSR-E433, I think around $200 at the time. It has a good variety of voices and prepacked beats. I’ve got a large 88key weighted Fatar Studiologic controller that I haven’t set up/played in years since it is so big, no audio out or speakers, needs an outboard sound module and sound system, cables, etc.
Seriously, though, why not let her play with yours until she has a better idea which musical direction she wants to go? I’m not big on sinking that much money into something that may become a dust catcher in short order - and I’m speaking as the parent of a professional musician. He was 12-13 before we started buying him his own instruments. Until then rent, borrow, share or steal. OK, maybe don’t steal…
I had piano lessons for most of my life, and light-up keys seems like the gimmicky-est of gimmicks. What is it supposed to teach? Rote learning of a tune? How to follow the lights, a skill that isn’t in any way generalize-able to the actual act of making music on a piano?
There are several very distinct and different skills that a kid needs to learn in order to play piano, including the muscle memory of hitting keys, singly and in chords; reading music including pitch and rhythm and all the complicated extras composer like to include; “an ear,” so they know what sounds good and what doesn’t. I’d argue that the best way to learn those skills is through regular piano lessons (you don’t mention that in your OP) and effective practice on a decent instrument at home.
Well the problem is that she doesn’t live with me so her access to my piano is relatively limited. She is also notoriously hard to buy for and the Casio lighted key piano’s are around the combined present budget from her mum and me.
This will be a Christmas present so I won’t be buying any time soon.
araminty, you are correct, it is pretty gimmicky. I was thinking that she could learn some simple songs by rote and that will help give her some sense of achievement and hold her interest. It occurs to me though that there may not be that many appropriate songs in the database for her to learn and I might just be better off getting a more standard keyboard.
Piano lessons would come if/when she wanted them. I go ok on piano and guitar without having had lessons but I also recognise that I would probably have been a lot better at it if I did have lessons. I don’t have a firm opinion either way, if she just gets enjoyment out of playing and discovering harmonies on her own then I’m not going to push lessons on her, on the other hand if she wants to be properly good at it, I will gladly contribute to formal training. At this stage I’m really just trying to kindle the interest she has.
