Mom's right, again. The sopranois an extremely difficult instrument to control. Most of them are VERY out of tune with themselves between registers. Even the "pro" horns who claim to have "perfect intonation" have a few problem notes. Stick with the alto or tenor for a couple of years. Learn the basic fundamentals of pitch control on these instruments, then try to move to soprano. Besides... I've NEVER heard of any grade or middle school bands (concert OR jazz) make use of a soprano, just because of that pitch problem. High schools may use one seldomly, but the peroson really has to be able to control it. Hang in there. Nobody's telling you to never pick one up, just to give it some time. Good luck.

Yeah, very few parts for them in school bands. But they are fun to play with. Technical difficulties? No more than with most clarinets and some tenor and alto saxes. One issue I've found is the lack of resistance. A mouthpiece with a small orifice inside it helps. But I'd stick to the school horn if I was you. At least for a while. Learning to play on more than one instrument at the same time is very hard. Plus, the angle of the mouthpiece can be very different on sop's, altos and tenors. Stick to one. Master one horn and then branch out from there. Good Luck, Enviroguy