Piano is technically a stringed instrument, and most will agree that it is a wonderful first instrument.  A great many music teachers who teach other instruments also agree that piano is a great instrument to start with.  It is not required that your child learn piano before anything else, but it does make a great stepping stone. Even if your child chooses to switch to another instrument later on, the melody, rhythm and sense of harmony they acquires with piano education will carry over. 

Piano offers many advantages, such as a great way to learn basics from rhythm and tempo to reading sheet music and learning to play by ear.  The piano does not require dozens of lessons to make a single note sound good, it is possible to strike one key and have a beautiful sound.  Other instruments can be very complicated needing certain finger positions, breathing or mouth control before a beautiful sound can be made.  A pianist can hear the entire musical piece as they play, unlike many other instrumentalist can only hear small pieces while the rest of the instrumentalist are playing quieter. 

While piano does offer advantages, there are still some disadvantages that should be considered.  For example, piano is a solitary endeavor.  It is very difficult and rare to find more than one person playing piano at the same time due to the space restrictions of the piano, as well as the large size of the piano making it difficult to put several in one room.  Other downsides are that until a pianist becomes quite advanced there are typically very few opportunities to play.  Piano is also difficult due to the fact that there are two staves in two different clefs, which can be very confusing for young children to learn. 

Many children are mature enough to start learning piano as young as 3 years old; they are best suited to learn using the Suzuki method, which teaches to play by ear, rather than by reading the notes and sheet music.  Children should be closer to 8-9 years old before they can grasp how to read the music.  For traditional lessons, a child should be able to grasp the concept of basic reading skills, as well as the letters A through G.  They should also be able to concentrate for at least 30 minutes at a time so they can participate in lessons as well as practice.  If your child has too many issues concentrating and learning piano then it might be a very good idea to stop lessons for a few months until your child has had some additional time to mature.  With children, a few months can mean a great difference. 

Many people do not purchase a piano for a child who is just starting to learn piano, instead a popular option is to purchase a keyboard that is full-sized so that is it much cheaper, easier to transport and still has the ability to sound like a piano without needing to be tuned.  A vertical piano can cost easily between $2,000-$4,000 and works well in limited space areas.  The taller the vertical piano the longer the strings and the better the tone will be.  Grand pianos typically start at $4,000 and can easily ride to over $100,000. 

It is possible to find a rent a piano; however, it tends to be very expensive.  There are also lease purchase programs available that can make piano ownership much more affordable.  It is very much possible to purchase a used piano; however, before purchase you should have a knowledgeable piano technician look it over.  The average costs of the lessons themselves range from $20 to as much as $50 per lesson.  Sheet music and music books are typically purchased separately and can cost up to $40 per book.  Maintenance is the next financial aspect, which can run as much as $175 for a tuning twice a year.