If they don't mind acoustic kits (which they probably have to upgrade if the kid continues his/her drum journey), can try Bras Basah Complex's Ranking Sports and Music for Lazer/Carlos (can't remember which one) junior kits.
The two brands I mentioned are budget brands, decent enough to provide for their needs but don't expect too much from it.
If they don't mind forking a little more, they could get electronic drumkits, these goes somewhere from 500-1,000. Places to find are Yamaha stores (plaza sing, tampines, ITE @ CCK), Swee Lee and Ranking @ Bras Basah.
Yamaha DTX 400k series is good for starters who're learning. (If they wanna consider this kit, PM me I can hitch a better deal for you
)
Roland do have their beginner models but I'm not a Roland fan to comment on it
They have good reviews so not that they're bad.
There's also Alesis and Medelli kits for you to consider.
In Summary:
( + pros, - cons)
Acoustic Kits
+
Feel
No electronic drums can emulate a real acoustic kit. There is so many things you could do on a acoustic drumkit than just hitting the drumhead. And even just hitting the drum head, no electronic kit has yet to provide the perfect feel of the drumhead according to the pros.
+
Expandable
Your limit is only your creativity. (And wallet and space at home too!)
-
Noise.
Just see the the sticky threads on "noise" generated from drummers practice.
- For Junior Kits:
Junior Kit probably have to be upgraded once the child grows up. Since there's so much he can do on a tiny kit only.
Electronic Kit
+
No need to upgrade
The rack can adjust to the kid. I have seen a drummer's toddler playing on a Yamaha E-kit with the rack adjusted very low.
+
Quiet
Not exactly quiet at home since you can still hear the rubber sounds, but it will not generate neighbour issues.
-
Feel. See above.
-
Price.
So far for first-hand purchases, I only know of one brand (Awowo) that goes for $499 for a full kit. The decent brands as mentioned above goes for more. You try the Drums Buy/Sell for a good deal though.
