We bought this recorder after my daughter bought one from the school and my 5 year old wanted to be included, and for such a cheap price I figured it would not be a problem. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of this recorder, it is nicer than the one from the school, a cool green color, and cost much less!!! BUY one of these instead!!!

You certainly can't beat it for the price! As a musical instrument, the sound is slightly whistle-y and thinner than some more costly recorders, but frankly, not by all THAT much. It does tend to "buzz" when it gets too steamy inside, and it's more difficult to clean because it doesn't come apart. This Canto recorder is slightly shorter than my Schylling 3-piece, which can be a slight advantage for players with smaller hands. The fingering is standard and you'll be able to go through any recorder instruction book using this instrument. The colour-coding isn't just cosmetic, either - I bought one for each kid, and one for myself, in different colours, so nobody's swapping spit or fighting over whose is whose (obviously, you can't do that in a large school group). The matching coloured bags are helpful, too - we can see from the outside whose is whose! I'm thrilled to have found these recorders - they are the perfect thing in our homeschool setting and the kids love them.