Gift Suggestions For Your Budding Musician

My son has been playing the clarinet for 5 years now and I'm delighted that his interest in the instrument is still going strong. He's in the school and marching bands, but what I REALLY love is he breaks it out during the summer just for the pleasure of playing. This year, his sister (now 10) has taken it up and I was ecstatic when, on Thanksgiving, they serenaded me with a duet!

If you've got a developing musician, here are some gift suggestions

 that will strike a chord with them:

For all musicians: 

• electronic tuner                                                  
• music stand

For clarinet players:

• reeds
• a thumbrest cushion (helps maintain the correct finger position), maintenance kit
• a clarinet pad saver (whisks moisture from the pads and tone holes which extends the life of the pads)

For flute players:

• maintenance kit
• pad saver

For saxophone players:

• reeds
• maintenance kit
• pad (see above)
• a better neck strap than what theycurrently have

For oboe players:

• reeds 
• valve oil
• maintenance kit

For trumpet players:

• maintenance kit

For trombone players:

• slide oil
• maintenance kit

And for orchestra kids who play violin/viola:

• shoulder rest,
• violin pitch pipe

Most items are available at your local music store or Amazon.com. You can also download selections from famous musicians for kids to listen to – they love hearing others play the instruments they're learning.

I'm happy that my son uses his instrument for fun and to de-stress. Music is a creative endeavor which stimulates the brain is a great way for them to develop confidence. Grab a few of the items above. They're sure to pleasure your musical child!

As always, thank you for reading!