If you want to help your budding musician get some of the neat tools that they will need for their field of study, but don’t want to ask them directly for the products they need, I have a few suggestions below that might allow you to win at gift giving without blowing the surprise. As always, if you have questions or need specific guidance, use the contact form on the website and I’ll get in touch with you as soon as my schedule allows!
Gift Certificates/Gift Cards/Store Credit
This is a convenient gift option that will allow your student to get exactly what they need when they need it. In most cases, gift cards don’t expire! The amount is up to you and your budget, but I can tell you that ANY amount will be a welcomed (and relatively easy) way to make sure the money goes to what they need, when cash sometimes goes to video games or other activities instead. Hickeys.com from Ithaca, NY is where I do quite a bit of my trombone shopping, and they have a link where you can purchase gift cards here:
Mutes
Students usually need straight mutes and cup mutes, and there are TONS of options out there, but one mute that they don’t always think about is a practice mute, which turns down the volume of their playing enough that they can practice when others need quiet time.
The budget end of this gift option is the PAMPET mute on Amazon for $25. You get what you pay for, which means that it isn’t the best mute, but is a nice mute you can keep at your place so that when your student visits, they can practice and you can relax. :)
3. Alessi Music Studios subscription
Joe Alessi, Principal Trombone of the New York Philharmonic, has a wonderful online program called Alessi Music Studios that has a TON of really great content that would help any budding player. There are different subscriptions available, and you can reach out to the website administrators if you have questions.