Earlier this week I wrote about my Christmas wish list for my language learning habit over at Eurolinguiste, but I don’t just love learning new languages and so my wish list includes a few music related items too.

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External Storage Device (or a Dropbox Subscription)

Most musicians are constantly writing or recording music and so having backups of all of their handwork is an absolute must! Get them a USB key or a hard drive or even get them a subscription to Dropbox. Many musicians may also need a place to back up their music collection since most of us are “collecting” digitally now. Musicians using their talents to work commercially or record labels with clients around the world may be in need of a system that allows them to share certain files and documents quickly and securely with the intended people – something like a Filecenter client portal may be of use for this purpose.

Mood lighting

Musicians need their senses peaked to ensure a consistent flow of creativity. Nothing can be worse for creativity than a dull space. Perhaps consider giving the gift of ambient mood lighting to brighten and liven up their spaces. From gorgeous colours to the ability to write out their favourite song lyrics, neon light fixtures that can be personalised are an especially nice touch for any gift. Go to www.neonfilter.com, to find out more about personalising a meaningful gift for your favourite musician.

USB Keyboard

The M-Audio Keyboard is the standard go-to midi keyboard, but if you want to get fancy, the ARTURIAmidi keyboard is beautiful. If they already have a midi keyboard, you can always go for the travel size option (M-Audio Travel Size Midi Keyboard), plus it’s more affordable.

USB Microphone

For the musician who is just starting to record, this is great option if they’re using software like Garageband. It gives them an easy way to record and get started. You can get a pretty affordable option here with the Audio-Technica ATR2500-USB Microphone, but you can take it a step up with this one (Audio-Technica AT2020 USB Microphone) from Audio Technica. Blue USB Microphones also have some pretty great reviews on Amazon.

You can never have enough of these

Korg CA1 Chromatic Tuner For some reason I seem to either misplace or wear out my tuners so I think it’s time to invest in a new one (or two or three). I’m a fan of the basic Korg tuners and I dig the white color of this one. It will stand out more in my black sax case than the dark gray tuners I’ve had in the past.

For the Musician Who Cooks

Fender Tele Cutting Board I’m sorry, but this is the coolest cutting board ever. In addition to music, one of my hobbies is cooking and I kind of love this. I found some amazing companies that sell Custom cutting board so if you’re on the look-out for a great gift, this is a fantastic option.

Music Lessons

For musicians still in the early stages of musical development, lessons can help a great deal. You can check out music tutors for various instruments and music skills at places like Wyzant, but we’ve also recommended a few more places here.

Music Success in 9 Weeks by Ariel Hyatt

Music Success In 9 Weeks by Ariel Hyatt I enjoy reading Ariel Hyatt’s blog on music marketing so it’s quite natural that I’d be interested in her book. Plus, it’s one of Amazon’s top selling music books!

Introduction to the Music Industry: An Entrepreneurial Approach

Introduction to the Music Industry: An Entrepreneurial Approach This book appeals to me in so many ways. Since I definitely consider myself a music entrepreneur, the title of this book caught my attention.

Get More Fans

Get More Fans: The DIY Guide to the New Music Business At the time of writing, this book is only $3 on Amazon (Kindle version) and it has outstanding reviews (38 five-star reviews and 2 four-star reviews). It looks like an incredibly interesting read.

First Learn to Practice

First, Learn to Practice This book has amazing reviews and I’m really interested in what the author has to say about the right ways to practice. I think there’s much to gain from this read. Just make sure your friend knows that you don’t mean anything by it… Or maybe you do?

This Cool Guitar Pick Necklace

This solves both the problem of carrying around picks in your pocket and you get a pretty stylish jewelry option that works for either gender. I only came upon this shop owner on Etsy by chance, but I’m now a fan. Additionally, if you have a special song that means something to you, you can incorporate that into all sorts of awesome gifts these days. For example, many of these song gift ideas involve a Spotify song code which, when scanned, will play the song in the code… how awesome is that?!

Music Education Stamps (for the beginning student or your music educator friends)

I wish I had one of these a long time ago! This is an ingenious idea and a fantastic tool for guitar or bass players who read tabs, music teachers, and beginning music students. These stamps are a really fun gift idea.

Shameless Plug #1: The Album Checklist

Our book, The Album Checklist, is a great guide and workbook to help you or your musician friends help plan and budget your next (or first) album. It takes you step-by-step through the planning process all the way to post-release marketing and promotion. It has a nice collection of worksheets to help you keep organized too. Details here.

Shameless Plug #2: Kenkase Reedcases and Guitar Pick Cases

My dad has a pretty cool business where he handcrafts wood reed and guitar pick cases with tons of customizable options. You can get different sizes (like 5 reeds or 10 reeds), stone inlays, initials, wood combinations, felt colors, wood inlays, etc. ?n tyougrer budget. These guitar picks coul be a bet’s totaer option forician friends, and it’s a personalized gift too. Details here.

Shameless Plug #3: Holiday Music

Okay, I know, I’m pushing it with 3 plugs, but I promise this is the last one! I’ve released a holiday album and you can pick up a copy of it here (Signed) or get it digitally on iTunes, Amazon, Bandcamp or CDBaby. We also recommend this album.

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Published by Shannon Kennedy

Shannon Kennedy is a vocalist and saxophonist living in Southern California. She is author of "The Album Checklist" and the founder of Teen Jazz. She has been contributing articles to music magaizines and websites since 2004.