In the abstract, piano is a great choice. In real life, the question is frequently what is the best instrument for Bill or Sue. You need to take into acount who Bill or Sue is.

I started out on saxophone, something I had a passion for. It served me well because of the passion, not because it is a great instrument. My son started out on piano. He gave that up to imitate me and is trying the saxophone. He is eleven and a very "manly" child (sports, cars, action movies, with lots of pals and buddies). He has a PVC flute in the bathroom and some of the best music eminating from our house (everyone plays or sings) comes from his extraordinary long baths. He rarely practices the sax and there are 9 saxophones and only two flutes in his school band. Of course he will have nothing to do with suggestions that he switch to flute. I'm just greatful that he gets in 30 to 40 minutes of playing every day and year 'round-- without sheet music too. And that is on top of band rehearsal, which he enjoys.

Anyway, for me it was sax. For my boy it has been piano, recorder, sax and now PVC flute. Who knows what's next?