I grew up around music. My dad has played the guitar since he was a kid and from the time that I was born, he would play his guitar for me and sing to me. Now as a mom, I am a huge proponent of introducing children to music from a young age. Music has the power to make you feel happy, to inspire, bring back memories, reduce stress, and so much more. Not to mention that numerous studies have shown that learning how to play a musical instrument can enhance a child's intellectual, emotional, physical, and social development. With budget cuts affecting musical programs in schools across the country, parents are having to take the reigns to make sure their kids reap the benefits of playing an instrument.

Recently, First Act contacted me about reviewing their 30-inch children's acoustic guitar and to say that I was thrilled is an understatement! First Act is known for making high quality musical instruments for children. The guitar they sent me is actually from their First Act Discovery line, which is for children 4 years old and up. When I received the guitar, I was so pleasantly surprised! I mean, all of the guitars that I have seen for kids of that age are really toys...not instruments. The First Act Discovery Mini Acoustical Guitar is an actual, usable instrument made from hardwood!

The guitar is designed to make learning to play easy and fun for kids. Check out the features!

Guitar Features

• Mini-dreadnaught body shape
• Steel strings
• Sized and scale length designed for kids
• Natural gloss finish
• Low string action for easy playability
• Great feel and accurate intonation
• Complete with strap button and pick guard

Obviously, Lucas is too young to play this guitar right now and all my nieces and nephews are either too young or too old...so I did the next best thing and took the guitar to my dad. My dad owns a dozen guitars...some worth thousands of dollars. Playing the guitar is not just a hobby to him-it is a part of who he is. So, I gave him the guitar and asked him to play it and tell me what he thought. After playing a quick song, his exact words were "this guitar sounds pretty good for being a kid's instrument". I'd say it passed his test!

Quality wise-the guitar is great and the price is even better at $29.99! The only improvement that I would make is that the pick guard is glued on and it does lift up a little bit. However, I added a touch of a strong glue and it is fine now. Other than that, the guitar is a great starter instrument for kids 4 years and up and even comes with Learn-a-Chord cards to get kids started! You can find this guitar at Walmart, Target, Toys R Us, and FirstAct.com.