With which instrument should children start to learn ? Age 6-8 years old - something which captivates them and does not turn them off from music?
I thought about drums for starters - getting a rythm is a good thing - or would you say keys /guitar?
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Anything except a Flute.
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Singing and something else together.
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A flute and a flute.
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An acoustic instrument is probably for the best. I think itās better to be more connected to a physical thing producing the sound so they can feel it to better intuitively understand what is happening. Also, simple is very goodā¦ but rather than something thatās easy to play and difficult to master (like a harmonica), maybe lean closer to something that is somewhat difficult to start with but which will be very rewarding to them as they progress. Help them to find a degree of balance so that itās not so challenging that theyāre discouraged from continuing.
Within reason; let them choose the instrument they want to play. Introduce them to different instruments they could play. Ultimately, allow them to decide based upon the interaction that they want to have and the sounds that are appealing to them. It could even be an electronic instrument if thatās what they want!
If you play music, you can also practice with them. I would be more interested in asking what are the appropriate methods of teaching music rather than what instruments are best for children to learn with. Donāt want to limit them (too much)!
Edit: I just reread your question and I would favor a melodic instrument over drums (not that drums canāt be melodic). I just personally found that my favorite instruments to learn with were the ones that combined percussive rhythm with melody, like piano or guitar. There is perhaps more to absorb there. Cello actually was my favorite which I wished I could play better, but I couldnāt practice without bothering my familyā¦ so I had to give it up.
Edit 9: Musical instruments are just tools for making music. In other words, it is assumed that youāll have somehow introduced them to the joys of music before introducing them to some of the concepts behind the creation of it. Then you may start a conversation with them about what instrument they want to pick up. Only at that point will you be able to explain that the instrument they chose is far too loud and annoying and theyāll need to pick something else, thus beginning the cycle of ruining their hopes and dreams! 
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drums sounds like a really great idea. itās physical and can be immediately rewarding. No need to learn tons of theory to make stuff that sounds good either (not necessary for melodic instruments either, but still another dimension)
Also worth mentioning, Iāve had fun showing the Arturia DrumBrute to my friends kids when I watched them a few times. I think it was appealing to those kids (who are able the same age as the kids in your question) since every control is on the front and the sequencer is really straightforward.
recorder
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Kalimba, Xylophon, Guitar
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Sorry thought this was a Boards of Canada thread. 
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Kids benefit and enjoy quality time with their parents so this http://dato.mu/
Could be something to combine exploring and playing.
I can image hitting some keys and turning fx knobs on aYamaha CP with build in speakers and fx is hard to resist for any child thatās curious.
If nothing works a Moog oneš
Ukulele.
Easy to learn, small, and perfectly sized for kids.
Itās rewarding, because you get fast something out of it that you can acutally enjoy.
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Iāve really enjoyed playing the modular with my kidsā¦ we sit together and patch and the ask questions and then we listen to the results and they tweak some knobsā¦ itās not really learning an instrument as much as exploring soundsā¦
Piano has seemed to work great with my oldest daughter, we have tried guitar but itās quiet hard for the fingers.
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Just a thought - itās possibly less about the instrument itself but the environment you put it in.
For example, when I was very young, my parents found a piano (free to a good home) and placed it in the living room.
I was inspired by my Dadās playing (he had no formal training but it sounded fun) and was encouraged to play along to the TV during credits. Later on I took more formal lessons - which were classically oriented, but gave me skills to play along to music I was listening to elsewhere. I also became interested in classical (but not all that much).
Later again, the just-for-fun ear training allowed me to pick up a guitar reasonably easily and bang out the tunes I liked.
Since then Iāve gotten into electronic music and have hit numerous barriers.
These days, I kid myself that Iām musical.
In my early experience, however:
- Acoustic instruments can be picked up anywhere with little fuss. Powering and switching on are 2 additional barriers.
- Things will only sound good if they start sounding rough or even bad.
- A parent who can play a tune they like is a great way of showing them what can be done on a given instrument and this can be inspirational
- Ear training against music they like will get them to practice without thinking that they are practicing
- Being able to read and write notation is a good skill to have.
- Any skills are likely to be transferrable to other instruments.
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I thought this was a WTT thread.
(Iād probably swap my daughter for a Prophet 10ā¦).
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Iād say drums and keys are best to start with, as those are fairly intuitive and give pleasing results even after little practice.
If they are a little older, maybe guitar if they show interest in that.
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Some percussion might be good. No having them need to learn to read music and can just jam out at the start until they get used to it.
We chose Suzuki method violin for our children, and then āconservatoryā piano (I donāt think Suzuki piano is nearly as good). It all worked out well. They could have practiced more but they knew we were not forcing them to do it and they could stop if they wished. Both continued to learn from age 4-5 until they left for college.
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The Korg Monologue really amuse my 3 year old daughter.
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I think 6-8 you are going to find they enjoy a lot of different thingsā¦ Maybe that casiotone ct-s1 would be a good place to start if you think the button based preset navigation wouldnāt be too hardā¦ I know really little kids seem to get on better with knobs/sliders than button menus and seem to get on with rhythm more than melody but 6-8 should be fine for any button based menus and supposedly is the idea age range to learn keys type instruments.
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