Looking for the perfect gift for your son, daughter, niece, nephew or any other young friend? Get them a musical instrument! With a guitar, bass, violin, drum kit or accordion you'll be giving them something that could make them remember you fondly forever. You could even help them start an exciting, fulfilling lifelong career.

So what instrument should you buy? Depending on their age, I'd get an idea of what music they like. Does bluegrass get them dancing? Do you see them playing air guitar to songs on the radio? Or is classical music prevalent in their household and they may be the next Itzhak Perlman or Yo Yo Ma?

Does little Joey have a ton of energy he needs to release on a drum kit, or is he the quiet, serious type that might actually have the discipline to take piano lessons and practice? How about sweet Angela who's always humming as she plays with her dolls. Can you see her loving the delicacy of a flute or would she want to be the next Britney Spears? And keep in mind, they may lose interest in the instrument they start with but it could lead to interest in another one that suits them better. My first instrument was a recorder that I never got anywhere with, followed by a drum kit that I banged on from time to time but with no direction. Years later I bought my first guitar from a nun but never got into playing it either. Eventually, I tried playing a guitar with only four strings, a bass, of course, which fit me well. I've been playing it for 25 years now and have gone back to the six string musical instrument guitar as well.

Ian Anderson, of the progressive rock band Jethro Tull was a guitarist who sold his guitar for a flute! He felt he would go further playing flute than guitar and his success has proved him right. He just had to find the right musical instrument for him to exceed with.

A good way to find which instrument the child is most interested in is to take him or her to a music store and just let them walk around and absorb the atmosphere. There'll usually be people trying out the instruments in the store and the sales staff in music stores are usually very helpful and knowledgable. In the larger stores, there'll even be different sections devoted to certain instruments and their accessories. Your best bet is to have the child try several instruments and if they really like one, that's where to begin their musical training. Go online and find the instrument if you want to pay much less than in a brick and mortar store. You can even find any equipment you'd need for recording online, including software that can turn your PC or MAC into a recording studio. You'll find any accessories needed(strings, gig bags, straps, tuners, instruction books, dvds and cds) and it'll be shipped right to your door for your convenience.

Another way to find which instruments pique their interest is if you play one or more and they show interest in the music you play. I have two nieces and a nephew who have dabbled with the bass guitar because of my playing. They may never have shown an interest if I didn't play music.

So as you can see, a musical instrument is an exciting, unusual and educational gift for any kid of any age. And it could be the start of a very rewarding hobby or profession they will enjoy for the rest of their life.

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