... what sounds better for a tall-ish boy (who wants to be a man's man eventually).
...
any thoughts on this one?
As someone raising an 11 year old boy whose chosen instrument is a flute, I hope I'm reading your first post wrong. GS11 fell in love with the flute when an older cousin(in-law) played her flute at church. He started private lessons a year ago and joined the band at school this year, band starts in 6th grade. He's constantly getting razzed about playing a 'girl' instrument, and I'm constantly countering with getting him CD's of famous male flautists.
A larger instrument may fit your son's fingers more easily, but there are lots of "mans men" who play violin.
eta: GS11 has several friends who have taken private violin lessons for a year or more. Now that they're in 6th grade they could join the orchestra but have chosen to continue private violin lessons and join the band to learn a different instrument. These younger ages are a great time for exploration.
