The holidays will be here in a blink! Still looking for the right gift for your young musicians? We asked our teachers for ideas and here are a few great options!

General Suggestions for All Students:

Music doesn’t fit in the instrument case? Get an Elemental Music tote bag and say goodbye to the days of “I forgot my music!”
An Elemental Music t-shirt or hoodie to show off your EM pride! Forget to place your pre-order? You can still place your orders now and we’ll work to get you those orders before the holidays!
Music students are always writing in their parts and pencils are a necessity at rehearsal. There is nothing worse than trying to mark your part with a bad pencil, so why not gift your young musician with a great set of pencils?
And sometimes it helps to have accessories on hand for those pencils. Perhaps an extra eraser like this would be hard to lose, along with a cute pencil sharpener! Great stocking stuffers.
A nice music stand. Having music out on the stand in a visible place can go a long way towards reminding students to practice. These Manhasset stands are the industry standard and now they come in all sorts of different colors!
A clear sounding and loud metronome. This one is a favorite of Emily Senchuk’s because it offers lots of subdivisions!
Tuners are helpful, not only for tuning your instrument, but for ALL the notes you play!

Some of these are available as apps for smartphone, but we still prefer having a real metronome and tuner sitting on the music stand! It’s less distracting.

Portable speakers and quality earbuds allow music to go with you wherever you go.
Concert tickets to see great live performances around town
Sheet must of favorite music from movies, tv shows, and pop songs
Private lessons! Perhaps a grandparent or generous relative might sponsor private lessons for your child. Private lessons allow a student to receive one-on-one instruction and focus more intensely on their own technique and musicality.

For Choir Students:

This pitch pipe is not only pretty, but it will help your young choral student find their pitch anytime, anywhere!

For Band Students:

A silk swab for flute or clarinet players is a nice upgrade from a regular cloth swab!
This saxophone neck strap is a favorite of our Elemental Band staff because it’s not only padded, but it’s stretchy! This means that it helps distribute weight more evenly around the neck and is far more comfortable than a regular neck strap.
Instrument stands help make instruments easily accessible and readily available for practice! No one walks by a piano without touching it….imagine if your child could leave their instrument out safely all the time, too!

Flute or clarinet stand
Trumpet stand
Saxophone stand
Mutes are a great gift for students, and serve different functions. Practice mutes (listed below) help mute the sound and are a great gift to loving family members looking to take a little of the edge off!

Trumpet
Trombone
Other mutes change the sound of the instruments in different ways. The ones listed below are for trumpet. If you would like more info, please contact your teachers directly!
Straight mute: Dennis Wick, aluminum
Cup mute: Dennis Wick, adjustable
Trumpets could also ask for valve oil (Al Cass)

For String Students:

Rosin is always a necessity, and one can last for years. We particularly love the fun and more personalized Magic Rosin, which has something for every student
String players always need to keep their nails short, so why not get a cute pair of nail clippers to keep in your young musicians case? There are lots of options out there, like this, this, or this!
Mutes for violin/viola/cello students are a necessity for orchestral playing as they get older. We are loving these colorful mutes in all different shapes and sizes!
The hardest part of practicing is often just unpacking the instrument! Consider investing in an instrument stand or wall hanger. This allows the student to keep the instrument unpacked in their bedroom or a safe space. You might be surprised how often your child picks up their instrument when walking by, simply because it’s already out of the case and visible to them!

Violin/Viola wall hanger
Violin/Viola instrument stand
Cello/Bass instrument stand

Advice For Buying a New Instrument:

Don’t buy an instrument that your child will “grow into” - students need to play on a properly sized instrument in order to form a solid foundation and technique. Plus, playing on an instrument that is too large can actually cause physical injury! If you don’t want to buy an instrument until your student is ready for the full size, consider renting from a local shop.
Cheaper instruments are probably cheaper for a reason. A cheap instrument doesn’t do your child any favors. Most cheap instruments will lack a good sound and might even have mechanical issues such as poorly cut bridges or pegs that constantly slip. We highly recommend avoiding Amazon for instrument purchases and visiting a local instrument shop instead!
Ask a teacher for advice about where to purchase and what to look for in an instrument. Some teachers may even accompany you to the shop to try out instruments and help advise your selection!

Quick reminder: if you’re doing holiday shopping on Amazon this season (for musical accessories, not instruments!), please shop through AmazonSmile and a portion of your purchase will be donated to our organization! Visit smile.amazon.com/ch/27-3274582 and choose Elemental Music as your charity. Happy shopping!

And if you’re looking to do some holiday shopping for non-musicians, might we recommend our Boon Supply fundraiser? Lots of cute items, like vegan leather tote bags and eco-friendly lunch packing supplies…plus 40% of every purchase goes back to Elemental Music!