So , here's my bit of advice. Rent an alto from a reputable music store, find a competent teacher that you enjoy taking lessons from. Learn on the alto until you feel youv'e got a fair grasp of the horn..then look into obtaining a soprano. The sop is not the ideal horn to start on..anyway, if you just go to soprano right away, the yanigasaw is a good bet, although I'm not sure they make a student model ...however you may be able to find a nice used one on ebay..thier curved sopranos are very fine.