I have always struggled to find gifts for those I love. If it’s too specific there is a risk that they may not like it or need it. If it’s too generic they wonder, does this person know me at all?! And how do you ask them politely what they want or what they already have without giving away what you have planned? Gift-giving can be so stressful. Well if you have a flute-playing friend or loved one, then get ready to have one less thing to stress about this festive season because we have some great gift ideas that every flutist will LOVE. Everything from big gestures, to small thoughtful gifts. If you are the flutist reading this, then get ready to spoil yourself or casually pass this on to your family and friends. They’ll get the hint!
1. Flute lessons or flute courses
One of the biggest gifts you can get any aspiring musician is an opportunity to learn directly from a good teacher! A great gift idea would be to give your flute friend a voucher for some lessons. This is assuming they don’t already have a teacher! This is actually how I got my very first online student a few years ago. Her husband contacted me before Christmas and asked me if I would be willing to give her a few lessons! If you are unsure whether or not they have a teacher you may want to have a casual conversation and ask them.
There are a few options for gifting lessons. You could speak to a local teacher if they are willing to give a few lessons once off. You could also book a few online lessons on Lessonface.* This is a wonderful platform that helps connect aspiring musicians with the right teacher. There are loads of different teachers to choose from and each teacher has their profile as well as ratings so that you can find the best teacher for you or your loved one. Lessonface even has a student-teacher matching system. It is pretty cool! We are working together with this platform and are offering you a $15 dollar discount when you sign up and purchase lessons. Just use the coupon code theflutepractice15.
Another great option is to buy your friend an online course. These are self-paced classes that can be done at any time from the comfort of your own home. Sites like Learn Flute Online, Udemy, or First Flute with Sir James Galway, offer some great online courses. Of course, here at The Flute Practice we also have some online courses you can check out. This option is particularly great for anyone who enjoys learning on their own or would like some additional depth to their playing and practice.
Price: A lesson will typically cost you between $40 – $100 per hour, depending on the teacher. On average, an hour’s lesson will be about $75. A half-hour lesson is a more affordable option too. Some teachers also offer group classes and these are a great option to look out for. For online courses, the price will depend on the length and level of the course. Generally, you can expect to pay between $20-$100 for a decent course.
2. Flute books or sheet music
A beautiful new flute book is a great gift to get any flutist. It is a small, affordable gift but really says: I care about your passion!
There are 3 types of books to consider:
Repertoire books – these have pieces of music or collections of music or songs in them.
Study or etude books – these are a collection of pieces specifically designed to help improve your playing and technique.
Technique books – these are collections of scales and exercises to help improve your technique.
The biggest danger with buying someone a book is knowing if it is the correct level for them (beginner, intermediate, advanced) and if they perhaps already have the book! This makes it quite a challenge. If you can peruse their music collection, or find a way to ask these questions discreetly, this gift can be a real winner. Here is a list of some of my favorite books and books that I recommend in my classes and courses.
Repertoire:
It can be very useful to ask them who their favorite composer is, or if there is a piece of music that they have always dreamed of playing. A book of Disney tunes may be fun, or perhaps a compendium of beautiful melodies. A bit further below we have a great option that may be even better than a repertoire book but for now, here are some wonderful options that are not too advanced:
- Bel Canto by Emily Beynon – it comes with lovely play-along tracks!
- The big book of Disney songs: Flute
- Voorbeeld-repertoire fluit – a really surprising dutch find that many of our community members absolutely love! It comes with some great original compositions and a backing CD.
Studies:
While possibly a bit of a boring gift, if someone is serious about learning the flute, they will want to be practicing a study or etude each week. Here are some great books to get started with and I recommend these books to most of my students and community members!
- 76 graded studies book 1 and 2 – P. Harris and S. Adams Book 1 and Book 2 (LEVEL: Beginner book 1, intermediate book 2)
- 125 Classical Studies for flute (Beginner-intermediate)
- 24 little melodic studies – Marcel Moyse (Intermediate-advanced)
Technique books:
These are such standard books, that even though they may be too advanced for some, they are great to have on your bookshelf. Beginner players will start to grow into these eventually. If your fabulous flute nerd does do not have these books already, you CANNOT go wrong!
- Taffanel and Gaubert – 17 daily exercises
- Moyse – De la Sonorite
- Trevor Wye – Practice Books for flute (Omnibus edition)
Of course, you could always decide to get them The Flute Practice Scale Book. This is a book that will not only help players learn their scales and improve their flute playing, it is also great for players of various levels, and comes with practice plans, tips, and additional resources. You could go all in and get them the accompanying Flute Scale Course to go along with it!
Price: You can look at paying anything from $10 for a single piece of sheet music to around $50 for a good technique book.
3. Get them a flute subscription to a great app
The online world of learning has exploded over the past year and there are really amazing new apps and websites that help make the process of learning so much more fun!
Tomplay* is a great example of this and would make for an excellent gift! Tomplay is an interactive sheet music platform. They have hundreds of pieces to choose from, in various levels, genres, and instruments. It’s a much better option than buying them a single book because they get access to a whole library of music books and they can choose to play whatever they want! The best part, however, is the backing tracks that you can play along with. Imagine having another musician to play with at the click of a button. I honestly use this app all the time! One of my students recently said to me: ”My only regret with Tomplay is that I didn’t get it a year ago.” You could buy individual sheet music or, you could get them a month or a year subscription to the platform.
Simply Flute by Paul Edmund-Davies is another really wonderful platform, especially for intermediate and advanced players. It has loads of really fantastic resources on it that will keep most higher-level flutists practicing for a while.
You could also have a look at some of the subscriptions options here at The Flute Practice. Our Flute Practice Club gives flutists from all over the world access to a passionate, enthusiastic community of players from all around the world. There are regular practice challenges, live monthly Q&A sessions on Zoom, practice resources, and more. This is a great place to connect with other flutists and get support on the flute learning journey which can often feel quite lonely!
Platforms such a Learn Flute Online and First Flute also offer subscription plans which would make for a wonderful gift!
Price: Depending on whether you want to get them a year subscription or just a monthly subscription, the prices here will differ. On average, you could spend between $7-$40 per month. Yearly subscriptions often come with a bit of a discount!
4. Flute accessories and flute nerdy gifts
You could go with two options here: useful or not useful but really nice to have. As giant flute nerds, we love pretty flute things that remind us of our passion. But be careful! Some flute gifts are just a gimmick and may not come off as well as you hope. Ask yourself, will my flute friend or loved one use this in some way? Perhaps they can hang it in their practice room, or it is a beautiful piece of jewelry they may wear. Perhaps, it will just bring a much-needed smile. From one flute nerd to someone trying to buy a nice gift for their flute nerd, here is what I love.
Flute Cleaning wand or cloth – I recently got a cleaning wand and the extension and I love it. These go for about $37 depending on the brand. The helix wands are also great and just a little more expensive (around $46).
Altieri flute cozy – think sleeping bag for the flute. These are so great! You can put your flute into it during the day or pop the cozy on top of your flute while it is on its stand. It is a fantastic way to keep your flute out and unpacked but still keep it safe! These cost $32.50 currently.
Fluterscooter bag – If you need a more expensive gift, these are absolutely gorgeous flute cases and bags that don’t just look cool but also serve a very practical purpose: keeping the flute safe and protected! You can get one of these for around $120 dollars and up.
The keys to my heart!
If you want to do something really special…consider some flute jewelry!
Yes, you heard right! You can get them this classic gift with a heartfelt twist. I got a flute key pendant as a Christmas gift from my students last year and I absolutely love it! Many of the big flute shops stock different items but Fluteworld has a particularly beautiful selection. At least I think so! These range from as little as $12 dollars all the way to $150.
You could also check out our merch store for some inspiring items. While these are less “flute” helpful, they are a great way to stay inspired in your playing and practice. I particularly love this mug, designed by our community member Caryn Brame!
5. The greatest gift of all…
Of course, what every flutist really wants is a shiny new flute, preferably in solid gold. If you have around $20K dollars lying around, I can only promise your flutist will love you forever. I am only sort of joking!
If you do decide to really spoil yourself or your loved one, why not check out The Flute Center of New York*. They have loads of instruments, in various price ranges. If you call them anywhere in the US they will send you some flutes as a trial (how cool is that!) and you can keep the flute you wish to buy! You can also get some of these extra perks if you use my affiliate code “PRACTICE”:
- Free local shipping
- Extended trial period (10 days instead of 7)
- Extended warranty (18 months instead of just 12 months)
Happy shopping and happy practicing!
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