10 Last Minute Gift Ideas for the Musician in Your Life
by: Annie Bosler, DMA for the College Prep for Musicians™ Blog (published December 10, 2020)
As someone who almost never does my shopping until the last minute (still haven’t even purchased my first holiday gift this season), I thought I would procrastinate further and write a blog about finding those last-minute gifts for the musician in your life. If you are looking for something for your child, friend, significant other, or the nerdy person in your life who can’t stop talking about music, this list will be of use to you!
Small side note: If you didn’t know I am married to a horn player, so this blog is just as much for me as for you… 😀
Also, you may notice some of these items are marked with an I.O.U. (I Owe You) note, meaning they might not be here by the holidays. I.O.U.s can still be very thoughtful and super fun! For example: print a picture or draw something funny on a card to represent the gift you have purchased. Then wrap it up in a HUGE box. Everyone is always excited to open something on a holiday, and then getting something at a later date in the mail is always fun too. Honestly, I love an I.O.U. of an awesome present, and it gives me something to look forward to after the festivities!
Here we go, in no particular order…
Berlin Philharmonic Digital Concert Hall Passes
You cannot go wrong here; basically the Berlin Philharmonic is on demand from your couch! These passes arrive in your hands immediately, and you will not only have access to the live concerts (and yes, the Berlin Phil is still presenting live programs, even during the pandemic), but hundreds of archived recordings, interviews, educational programs, documentaries, and bonus films. If you order your 12-month ticket now, you’ll also get a free DVD Blu-ray where Maestro Kirill Petrenko conducts works by Mozart, Debussy, and Schoenberg!
Price Range: Approx. $12 (7-day pass) to $180.00 (year-long pass). There is even a monthly subscription option!
How is your special someone’s recording set-up? While there are lots of mics and gear on the market, this one is a great all-in-one setup. The company Zoom’s model Q2n-4K (not the same company Zoom for video conferencing) combines amazing audio with crisp 4K video to capture your performances in a user-friendly device.
Price: Approx. $200
Tip: If you look around online, you might be able to find this device for as low as $179. I have seen some good deals on this product over the last few months!
Compose Her Notebooks and Manuscript
Nia Imani Franklin is an amazing woman empowering women in music. She was crowned Mrs. America in 2018 and sang Quando m’en vò from the opera, La bohème to win. Since then, she has started a company called Compose Her. Nia has cool stickers and an awesome manuscript notebook that comes in two different sizes and colors. This gift is a great place for musicians to take notes, jot down song ideas, and keep track of lesson assignments/musical exercises. Every musician I know that keeps some kind of journal or manuscript handy. The stickers are available on the website, but for the notebooks, use her contact form. I can’t wait to see what Nia does next!
Price: $5 for stickers
So, who doesn’t love Ray Chen? In addition, how can you not LOVE his new merch! ClassicalPixel, brings Ray Chen to life in pixel form. You can find Ray’s pixel self on shirts, hoodies, and a keychain.
Price range: $10 (keychain) to $30 (shirts) to $60 (hoodies)
An I.O.U may be needed.
ClassicalPixel
When looking at Ray Chen’s merch, I also came across ClassicalPixel! How fun are the pixel versions of famous composers (i.e. Mozart, Bach, Joplin, Paganini, etc.)? They have also made limited edition notebooks that come in packs of 3. They are also working on a cool video game called Harmonic Minor. Keep this company on your radar!
Price: $18.24
Umm…yes. This is just too funny! I have only seen this sold at Houghton Horns out of Texas, but their store has a lot of other cool gifts including some awesome Mahler 5 jerseys! You can still have things delivered on time if you don’t mind paying a little extra in shipping.
Price: $11.95
Give the gift of college prep! If your special someone is even considering majoring in music, then there is a book and a course to consider this holiday. This is a great gift for high school students, junior college students, college juniors and seniors, or anyone planning to get degrees in music. Both the course and e-book can be in your hands immediately. I might be a little bias, but these are well worth the purchase!
Prices: $18.99 (e-book or print book) and $397 (course)
GLOW Microfiber Cleaning Cloth
How cool is this? The limited edition GinaMetric Microfiber Cleaning Cloth is from flute influencer Gina Luciani’s GLOW collection. This colorful and vibrant machine washable microfiber cloth (40 x 30cm) is perfect for almost every instrument and can even be used on your computer or glasses. You might have heard Gina’s acapella-style flute videos through her YouTube channel, but if not, I highly recommend checking them out!
Price: $12.50
An I.O.U may be needed.
String Player Bags
If I owned a violin, I would already have bought Sarah’s navy and white polka dot bag! I am a sucker for polka dots lol. Sarah, a violinist, handmakes each violin, viola, and cello bag in Bloomington, Indiana. She has a variety of different prints and patterns to use to make each bag which protects the instrument from the changes in humidity and temperature inside the case. She even has testimonials from world-famous violinist Anne Akiko Myers! There is an approximate two-month waitlist; however, anyone getting an I.O.U. for this should still be excited to know they are already on the waitlist.
Prices: $60 (violin bags), $75 (viola bags), and $155 (cello bags)
An I.O.U may be needed.
TwoSet Gear
If these guys aren’t genius and funny enough as it is, this merch takes the cake! There is something for everyone here from the “BachPach” to the “Practice O’Clock” watch. I love the practicing themes, I mean who doesn’t want a “Practice Period” shirt based on the Periodic Table? Lol, I do! Thanks TwoSet for keeping it fun, funny, and real in the world of classical music.
Price Range: $5 – $100+
Fight Your Fear and Win is a game-changing book. Ask most professional musicians, and they know of Dr. Don Greene. He is the person who brought sports psychology into the music world. Fight Your Fear and Win as well as his book Performance Success are great reads for any performing artist. The Kindle version is available for immediate download through Amazon.
Price Range: $13 (Kindle & print versions)