Hello!

 

As a student and future young teacher, l know of a lot of inexpensive DIY gifts that people would love. Since we're on a music site, I'm assuming these are for your choir or band students of some sort so I hope these are along the lines that you need. I'm a pretty crafty person too so I hope these appeal to you. You could give them a scrapbook (one of my new hobbies) and include some sheet music scrapbooking paper to get them started (I guess girls would appreciate that more than guys). The actual books aren't that expensive and if you go to a crafting store, there are loads of scrapbooking paper. This gift could get them started on creating a portfolio (another great gift) of their musical experiences that they could keep for personal memoires or for professional use in the future, especially if they are going into the musical field. Another gift idea is a nice picture of the choir as a memorabilia. You can find a plain wooden frame from Wal-Mart or again, a craft store, and paint it and decorate it to suit the individual student or make them all the same. You could also find a nice leather (or faux leather) binding book or journal and decorate it for them however you want, they can use it as a journal or note-taking or use it for whatever they want. Hope this helps!

 

Meg

A couple of years ago, I realized that the graduation party season was draining me financially, and that I couldn't keep putting money in cards.  Over the years, we have recorded all of the concerts both at the high school and middle school.  So, each year, each of the graduating seniors receives a "Greatest Hits" album of excerpts from all of their concerts.  I make sure to include any solos that the students have sung, and I go through each concert to pick the most representative pieces to show their progress.  I get a kick preparing it, and they enjoy listening to themselves back in middle school.  With 38 seniors, I usually put out about $50 if I have to get labels, discs, and envelopes.  Usually its less.  Just a thought.  Best wishes!