Think for a moment about your work. Do you want to be reminded of your job every waking hour of the day?
Before you give a musician anything with clefs, notes, or any other musical symbols, remember your own reaction to seeing reminders of your job everywhere around you. While those music-themed items are great for hobbyists, amateurs, or music lovers, professionals probably don’t want to be reminded of their jobs at every moment.
So what can you give that special musician in your life? Never fear, there are many great gifts: the practical, the useful, and the thoughtful, that will make that favorite musician’s day.
- Gift cards: musicians do a lot of traveling to and from performances, so restaurant or gasoline gift cards are a great way to make their lives a little easier.
- Instrument repair: whether it’s bow rehairing, a new set of strings, reeds, or piano tuning, your musician will greatly appreciate your remembering that they have expenses, too.
- Massage or spa: Musicians are prone to repetitive stress injury (RSI) so giving them a massage, chiropractic appointment, or even a spa deal for relaxation will make their lives much easier, and may prolong their careers.
- Other tools of the trade: for musicians who work with computers, consider USB drives or hubs, portable USB hard drives, a computer maintenance package, or online storage backup package. For musicians who work with printed sheet music, what about binders, page protectors, pencils, erasers, Post-It page flags, printer cartridges, or other things musicians use in great quantities?
- Other ideas might include a one-day housecleaning package from a professional maid service, a session with a professional organizer, a web designer, a few hours of errand service, pet-sitting, a handyman or landscaping service, or even a financial planner or attorney, if they don’t have one.
- Musicians have other hobbies, too. What about a book, an e-reader, or something off their Amazon wishlist?
- For splurges: a month of advertising, a session with an audio engineer, a video session for their website or DVD, or even helping them with a CD release?
Here’s hoping your favorite musician will love your gift!