Which musical instrument should your child learn?

As parents grapple with making the right or best educational decisions for their children, the questions about learning a musical instrument will often come up. Not just one question, but many.

Should I encourage my child to learn an instrument if they don't seem to have any musical talent? What is the best age to start my child learning an instrument? Should I get them private lessons or will they get the opportunity at school? And if they do, will it be as good or better than a private teacher? Is it vital that my child learns a musical instrument at a certain age? And if I don't start them when they are younger, have I let them down as a parent?