5 Last-minute musical gift ideas for the Holidays

With 5 days remaining until Christmas, it’s time to take a look at that list you made and check it twice!  Short on gifts for that musician in your life? Never fear, The ZOEN has assembled a list of musical gift ideas just for you:

1. Musical Instruments
If you’re looking to encourage a future musician in the household, an instrument is the best place to start. Research shows that playing music is a great mental exercise. Kids who take up an instrument are known to perform better in school and have better odds of getting into college. For great last-minute holiday deals on instruments, check out the following:

• Sweetwater.com - Featuring what is perhaps the widest selection of musical gear online, Sweetwater boasts beginner-level instruments as well as high-end professional gear, accessories and recording equipment.
• Guitar Center - Far more than just guitars, Guitar Center is a great place to find just about any instrument as well as accessories like cases, stands, tuners, picks, pedals and microphones, amps and more and they even guarantee delivery by Christmas.
• Musicians Friend - With its extensive offering of musical instruments, Musicians Friend is a great place to find both new and used equipment.
• Amazon - Solid selection of musical instruments as well as accessories like guitar picks and straps.

2. Music Lessons
Once a musician takes up an instrument, the next (and arguably hardest step) is finding the right teacher. Thanks to the internet and live online music lessons, you aren't limited by Geography to choices within your own neighborhood or even your own time zone. You can find your teacher and take online music lessons without ever leaving your home. What's more? You can even buy Gift Cards and Gift Certificates for music lesson packages that complement your musical instrument gift. Check out Gift Certificates from The ZOEN. They’re a simple and thoughtful gift for any aspiring musician and can be redeemed for online music lessons with any music teacher on the website.

3. Digital Music
Musicians love music. Why not give them access to even more of it? So often a musician’s journey begins with “that song” that inspires them to learn to play it. For established musicians, its helpful to listen to the music they’re learning in order to play it. iTunes Gift Cards make for great gifts - as do iPods. Also consider gift subscriptions to online music streaming services like Pandora and Spotify.

4. Musical Apps
Music apps for smartphones and tablets can help a musician tune up and keep a beat. Many of the apps available are built for beginners but can also assist those with intermediate to advanced skills. For those needing a metronome on the go, Metronomics Metronome is available in the Apple App Store. The Cleartune-Chromatic Tuner is a great app for almost any musician to have on hand. Apps like Loopy, Beat Maker and Figure are fun ways to learn music production. What musician wouldn’t want to compose their own ringtone? These apps make that entirely possible.

5. Sheet Music and Guitar Tabs
Online resources like Sheet Music Plus and Sheet Music Archive give music students access to thousands of sheet music and guitar tab titles for all genres and skill levels. Sheet music or tabs for a favorite song are a great add-on to online music lessons.

Did we miss anything? Hit us with your suggestions in the comments section below.