November 8th, 2021
Gift Suggestions for Singers, Songwriters, Speakers and Musicians UPDATED 2022
…whatever it is, wrap it with love
Do you have singers, speakers and/or musicians on your gift list? Here are some suggestions, updated for 2022:
$25 or less…
- Music! Support music creators with a gift that keeps on giving… a single or a whole album project. Here are 8 places you can purchase music online, or go to an artist’s website to order (they make more Money that way). Or go all-in with the great sound and look of vinyl!
- My digital or physical 1-CD Power, Path and Performance vocal training course – hey, try that discount code… it just might still work! FALL22SAVE25
- Great Speakers Use Acting Technique book by acting coach Barbara Kite.
- Nothing Left To Lose But Everything To Gain book by Natalie Hall of The Hall Sisters
- The Musician’s Essential Exercises – by personal fitness expert Angela McCuiston, owner of ‘Music Strong’
- An acoustic cellphone amplifier (yep, google that and you’ll find all kinds!
- EarPlanes (for inflight ear discomfort – they work!)
- A camera tripod
- The Singer’s Mask
- Other good quality, comfortable masks to protect them from Covid when they are in public interacting with fans and music industry people.
- The Martian Popping Thing (a.k.a. ‘Panic Pete’), I use it to train breath technique; it’s also a hand/finger exerciser and a mental Stress reliever!
- A neck scarf or shawl for blocking cold air to tender throats..
- A music theory book
- A flexible cellphone stand… great for videoing gigs, youtube performances, doing Facebook live videos, etc!
- Voice therapist/speech pathologist Joana Cazden’s book ‘Every Day Voice Care’
- Guitar Tuner or Metronome
- Stage wear bling for clothes or hair
- Mic stand pic holder (maybe add some pics!)
- Instrument strings
- A small percussion instrument (tambourine, egg shaker, etc.)
- Membership for speakers in Toastmasters
- An immune boosting supplement. There are tons of choices, a couple of suggestions I have include this buffered vitamin C powder -easy on the stomach but powerful; and On Guard cough drops from DoTerra.
- Stainless steel, glass or BPA-free water container… and maybe add a 6 pack of Dole’s pineapple juice (great throat soother and hydrator for stage and studio)
- Lisa Aschmann’s 1,000 Songwriting Ideas
- Neti Pot (plastic or ceramic, maybe add pkg of neti pot salt and/or herbal wash)
- A full length mirror (for singers, singer-dancers, musical theater actors, public speakers)
- A humidifier or vaporizer. If you prefer a cool air humidifier, here’s one that self cleans. And here is a unique, small humidifier powered by USB. I prefer warm air vaporizers. But I’m not sure there’s a lot of difference.
- Pack of strings (find a sneaky way to make sure you know the instrumentalists’ preference)
- Instrument cleaner, polish or string changing wrench
- Alan Carr’s “Easy Way To Stop Smoking” (for the voice and for life)
- A music business staple: Passman’s “All You Need To Know About The Music Business“
- My last album John and Judy Rodman’s “Here We Are”.
$26 – $65
- Singing In The Studio course (the ultimate professional level course for any singer who will be recording vocals.) Try that coupon to see if it still works: FALL22SAVE25
- Vocal Production Workshop (for engineers/producers who want to get the best vocals possible out of their singers) For this too.. coupon might still work!
- FALL22SAVE25
- HearFones I have a limited number in stock right now. (Domestic shipping only, sorry, no coupon. I price them as low as I can.)
- 1/2 hour vocal lesson with me in-person, online or phone (I’ll provide gift certificate)
- Microphome foam microphone cleaner All of us should have a bottle of this.
- A limited subscription to Netflix or boxed set of a TV series (for idle hours on the tour bus)
- A music “fake book” or sheet music
- Stands – music stand, mic stand, guitar stand
- iPad stand holder
- Tickets to a live concert event
- A mini-trampoline for core and wellness physical workouts all voices need.
- A thumb drive for music tracks and vocal exercises
- Mp3 speakers (some of the cheap ones sound fine and work with not only iPhones but also Android phones, tablets, laptops, etc.)
- iPhone adapter (for newer iPhones that don’t have a phone jack)
$65 – $250
- One or two hours of vocal lessons with me in office or online (I’ll provide gift certificate)
- Speaking Voice Technique video vocal training course
- My full UPDATED 6-disc Power, Path and Performance vocal training course – again, try that coupon FALL22SAVE25 . Please specify if you want the course on disc, or prefer the files on thumb drive – or just the digital version
- A membership subscription to CARTNE music career training.
- A ‘Little Prompter’ teleprompter for cellphone, laptop, computer (I love mine!)
- A JBL Bluetooth Speaker
- A Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) such as ProTools, Studio One, Logic, Reaper.
- A course by Bree Noble in music business such as “Profitable House Concerts” (she has several more)
- Music marketing/promotion training by Rick Barker
- A backup hard drive for recording projects
- A Cajon, Djembe or frame drum
- A new smartphone and/or data package
- Membership(s) in NSAI (for songwriters), AFM (Musician’s Union) or SAG/AFTRA (singer/actor union)
- Photoshop Elements (An affordable version to create web banners, flyers, edit photos, all kinds of photo uses)
- Masterwriter software
- Gym membership and/or personal trainer (for health, looks AND vocal stamina!)
- Acting or dance lessons… Google classes and prices in your area, get recommendations.
- Live performance coaching
- A microphone – spend some time finding out what is needed. Will it be for stage performance or recording? For a speaker, say a lavalier mic system (this is what I have)? A podcast? There are cheap and more expensive mics for all these applications, do some digging around. An economical time-tested stage or rehearsal workhorse is the Shure SM58 or Sennheiser 835.
- Mp3 player or speaker (and if you’re dealing with the newer iPhone, you’ll need wireless)
- A small mixing board
- A quality pair of headphones
- A turntable (LP vinyl player – and hey, discriminating ears love vinyl!)
- An instrument case with wheels, or lightweight gig bag
- Digital recorder
- Surprise your performer at a show with flowers!
$250 and up…
- Funding for my vocal production and/or bgvs (contact me if you’d like to discuss)
- A series of vocal lessons with me (I’ll be happy to provide a gift certificate)
- Lessons on an instrument.
- Mixing board
- A camera, GoPro or camcorder
- The Shure SM7B cardiod dynamic vocal microphone (I am now recording bgvs and my podcast on this).
- An audio interface – simple, or complex like the Apollo (mine is the Twin – the PC version) which comes with console and plugins.
- A web or Facebook designer
- DragonSpeak – Voice Recognition Software (for songwriters and speech writers)
- In-ear monitors
- Stage clothes and/or bling
- Wireless mic system
- A photo session
- CD graphics design
- A music marketing seminar or bootcamp
- Funding for video shoot
- An instrument.. guitar, keyboard, mandolin, violin, etc
- New road cases
- Home studio recording gear
- A live PA system
Gifts of Your time/expertise –
- Host an outdoor socially distanced karaoke party or guitar pull!
- Write song charts for your loved one.
- Set them up on a social network they are new to.
- Teach them to use some software you know they need.
- Videotape them for TikTok, Instagram, Youtube Live or Facebook Live.
- Do or better yet, teach them how to do some video or audio editing, such as with Audacity (free software).
- Type up and organize their worktapes and lyrics, or convert them digitally and save.
- Write a song in honor of them them (priceless!)
- Commit to a number of hours of computer work… updating databases, uploading videos and pictures, social network friending, researching, etc.
- If you have a home studio, record a song demo or worktape on them.
- Carve out special time to listen and critique their song, performance, speech.
- Give them a day of complete voice rest! Do the talking for them.
- Babysit or dog sit while they perform, record or attend someone else’s show.
- Attend their online show and invite friends!
- Recommend their music or show on your social network sites
Or…get creative. Give to a charity in your loved one’s name, buy them a star, make a memory spending some time together in a group Zoom or Skype meeting, or volunteering to help safely deliver food or other goods to doorsteps of those in need!
Now: What do YOU want for Christmas? You can leave a hint here in the comments and then send a link to the post:) I intend to update this list every year… so bookmark this post and check back whenever it’s gift-giving time for you again!
Originally Published on https://www.judyrodman.com/
