Christmas Gift Ideas for Students

My colleagues and I have been discussing what kinds of presents we give (if at all) to our students. I have given small Christmas gifts to my students throughout the years, such as pencils and erasers, candy and Christmas decorations. Twice, I've turned my students' gifts into a Japanese language studies project. I made origami stars and turned them into ornaments. Another year, I bought small ornaments and wrote my students' names on each one: in Japanese.

This year, I was inspired by the CD project I did with a student who terminated lessons earlier this year. Last week, my students recorded a track for the studio Christmas CD. Most participated.

I didn't have time to record anything new. Thankfully, I still have my files from a family Christmas CD I made a few years ago, so I tossed one of the tracks in.

It was a good excuse to test out LightScribe label making software. No more smudged up CD labels. The CD design and name are etched in. Let me tell you, my studio and office computers were busy burning audio and artwork.

Then, I was going to add a Christmas candle. However, I discovered that decorating each one would take more time that I could spare and that it was really difficult to find glass votive holders for a really good price. Only once I switched gears, did I learn that IKEA sold said glass votive holders at a sweet price point.

At Michael's, I found 30 party favour tins on sale. I picked up some round Christmas chocolates and decorated the tins with foam stars and Christmas ribbon (also on sale).

It was important to me that my students get at least one thing that can be re-used. The tins are a good size to hold little trinkets, candies, dice or coins.

The last bit was a bit of a last minute bonus. I took my studio mascot, Maestro, to PetValu on Saturday. There, with a donation to Pawsitive Match, pets could pose with Santa Claus.

I was initially told that the photo would be sent on Tuesday. I was delighted to see the photo in Maestro's mailbox yesterday afternoon. Bingo! Here's the perfect Christmas card for M̶a̶e̶s̶t̶r̶o̶'̶s̶ ̶g̶r̶o̶u̶p̶i̶e̶s̶ my students.

Here's the finished package:

Here are a few ideas that some of my colleagues have come up with:

• personalized framed Wordle pictures (Jennifer Foxx)

• rainbow loom bracelets

• customized greeting cards

• sheet music

Need more student gift ideas? My colleague, Joy Morin, asked teachers to share their Christmas gift ideas on her blog, Color My Piano. Finally, Diane Hidy has a colourful list of prize and gift ideas on her blog.

Now, it's your turn. Fellow music (and school) teachers, please share your Christmas gift ideas. What do you give your students for Christmas?

Diggin' the Laser Therapy

Maestro laser.jpg

After six months of laser therapy for his canine arthritis and I.V.D.D., Maestro is still enjoying the benefits of this non-invasive treatment.

Paralyzed Hedgehog Gets Wheelchair

This seven-month hedgehog had an accident that left his hind legs paralyzed. Thanks to Exootic Vets, the creators of his custom-made wheelchair, this paralyzed hedgehog can walk once again:

Snow Day Activities and Reflections

After attending Otafest Aurora last weekend, I went to visit with family in High River and to pick up Maestro. The roads were fine at the time, but everyone knew that a storm was on its way.

Sunday night, we watched the snowstorm roll in. The swirling wind hid the landscape from view.

By morning, I was faced with either braving the treacherous roads back into the city (and the roads were equally horrendous in Calgary) or declare a Snow Day and reschedule music lessons to a non-blizzard day. I chose the latter.

What does one do with a Snow Day? The following is a short list of snow activities for adults that I came up with:

• read

• clean the house

• reorganize a room, drawer, closet

• cooking or baking

• call or write family or friends

• play a game

• office work

• sleep

• spend time with family

• hobby

• watch a TV show or movie

• pray/meditate

• start your Christmas cards and letters

• put up the Christmas tree

For my Snow Day, I wound up interviewing attendees so I could complete my reviews of Otafest on Examiner.com and my J-Blog. I also did a bit of tabletop gaming, trying out Castle Panic and Ticket to Ride. It was also a good day to take lots of naps, too. It was a great day.

Have I left anything out? What are some snow day activities that you have tried (or would like to try)?

Exploring Unusual Musical Instruments

Leonardo da Vinci's viola organista has been making the rounds throughout various social networks. Polish pianist Slawomir Zubrzycki brought da Vinci's conceptual drawings to life, constructing this harpsichord/cello to life and delivering the world premiere performance last month:

After showing my students some of the footage a few weeks ago, I began to wonder what other strange and unusual musical instruments existed. This is a short list of six unusual musical instruments that I came across in my travels:

Unusual Instrument #1: Theremin Cello

Also known as the "Fingerboard Theremin", the Theremin Cello is comprised of a plastic film fingerboard. When you press upon said fingerboard, a sound is generated:

The Theremin Cello was invented by Russian physicist Leon Theremin. He's best known for another strange (more famous) instrument that is named after him: the Theremin.

Unusual Musical Instrument #2: The Otomatone

When I first learned about the Theremin Cello, I was struck by how similar the sound production was to the Otomatone. This is a video I showed my students during the Music and Technology group class last year:

The otomatone hit the market in 2009. This strange instrument was developed by CubeWorks Company of Japan.

Unusual Musical Instrument #3: Singing Stones

These sound eerie! According to Odd Music, Singing Stones is made up of 100 river rocks. These are hung from a sound box with music wire.

To play the singing stones, the strings are manipulated by hand. The musicians wear rosin-covered gloves.

Unusual Musical Instrument #4: Pikaso

It took lutenist Linda Manzer  two years to make the Pikaso for guitarist Paul Metheny. This strange musical instrument has four guitar necks, 42 strings and two access doors:

Unusual Musical Instrument #5: Xaphoon

Call it a mini or portable sax. At any rate, I want one.

Originally made of bamboo, the Xaphoon was created by Brian Wittman of Maui. Now, there are injection-molded versions which retail for approximately $120 USD:

Unusual Musical Instrument #6: LEGO Harpsichord

My inner geek is intrigued by the idea of having a functional musical instrument comprised of LEGO. This version, designed by Henry Lim uses wire strings. It really sounds like a toy piano. Please visit Mr. Lim's website for photos and an audio sample.

There are countless more unusual musical instruments. You can find out about some of them at Odd Music