Alfred Music
Percussion instruments playing cards
£5.30
A complete set of 52 ordinary playing cards with a twist. Every card features a high-quality image of a different musical instrument, along with a brief paragraph containing interesting facts. Each suit represents a different family of percussion instruments: Pitched/Non-pitched membrane (spades); Pitched/Non-pitched metallic (clubs); Pitched/Non-pitched wood (diamonds); and sound effects (hearts). Four jokers round out the set, each containing notes on different aspects of percussion notation.
The cards are really well made, feeling very pleasant to play with, and I certainly learned a lot from the pack. What better way to maintain a poker face than concentrating on the cajón in your hand? Great for any percussionist who might feel that their interests are often ignored.
The Young Flute Player
Fun & Games book
We covered Karen North's flute books in the August issue of MT and this book stands alongside those as a great resource for any instrumental teacher. As the name says, this is handbook full of innovative and interesting games to play with students, whether they're stuck in a rut or feeling a bit bored.
Chromatic Combo Cards
Au$7.95 (£4.45)
Any music teacher knows that students do not learn in a uniform way and that many of them benefit from outof-the-box thinking when it comes to conveying even the most basic of concepts. These cards definitely fall into this category, being used to play a game of concentration where the aim is to match note names to their depiction on the chromatic scale.
The printing is very clear, and the card stock is nice and robust. While these will definitely hold up in even the busiest tutor's hands, you may wish to laminate yours for peace of mind. I was reviewing the treble clef pack, but bass and treble/bass varieties are also available, making a set of these a useful addition to any teacher's bag of tricks. If you're prepared to give them a little bit of help, I would be tempted to give these to any non-musical parents who want to get involved with their child's musical journey.
Domino Fingering Cards
Au$7.95 (£4.45)
As I'm a flautist, Karen was kind enough to send me the flute variety of these innovative cards, though they are also available for clarinet, trumpet, violin, cello and piano. The idea is quite simple: it plays like regular dominoes but, instead of numbers, each half of each card depicts either a note name, a note on the stave or a fingering chart for a particular note. It is a very fun way of getting students, particularly early learners, to connect the many different ways of understanding a particular note. It's of equal quality to the other set of cards and comes with the same recommendation.
Music Gift
Musical Week Planner
I like to have physical copies of my diary so that I always have something to fall back on in the event of a digital malfunction – there's also something fundamentally satisfying about being able to tick something off a list. This planner helps to scratch that itch in an adorable way – all the syllables of the days of the week are marked with notes (i.e. Monday is two crotchets) and the weekends are marked by rests. The paper is of a high quality and I didn't experience any bleed-through when using a fountain pen. With 52 sheets in the pack, this definitely makes sense as a Christmas gift for any musician in need of organisation.
Notebook set
A really lovely set of notebooks in a variety of sizes. I found them to be very robust and well-designed (they attracted several compliments at a meeting I had with several heads of music). I love a good notebook, and these are definitely that.
Articulation postcards
These dainty postcards are perfect for any stationery collector in your life. With their cute slogans and pared-back design, they are ideal for sending a quick note in a stylish format.
Tote bag
As tote bags go, this one feels quite small both in terms of the size of the bag (it could hold a medium-sized pumpkin) and the carry handles. It didn't feel comfortable when I wore it over my shoulders, though admittedly I am 181.5cm and have very broad shoulders – a smaller person might get more use out of it.
Though the ‘take a rest’ slogan and rest symbol are cute, the print quality is a little bit rougher than that of the other products on this list – it looks absolutely fine from a few feet away but up close, there is a jaggedness to the edges that I couldn't ignore once I noticed it. The material is really nice though and the stitching makes sure that the whole bag has a sturdiness to it that belies the softness of the cloth.
Dish towel
Though it is just a dish towel, this is an especially nice one. The fabric is of a really good quality and it feels nice and soft in the hands – exactly what you need in a dish towel. I prefer my dish towels to be very absorbent, whereas this one is only suited for drying the slightly damp. Along with printed sheet music, the design also features quotes from Nietzsche, Confucius and Shakespeare, as well as Fernando Pessoa, the most beloved poet of this company's home country of Portugal.
Potholder
Another gorgeous design, though this print includes rich red musical symbols on top of the cream and black to create a really striking look. The grey of the insulation pad really rounds off the look for me, helping it look cool and minimal in a modern kitchen. I put it to the test and I didn't burn my hand! Practical, pretty and perfect for any musician's kitchen. It's machine washable as well, so no worries when you inevitably spill the Christmas dinner gravy!
Pouch
I was reviewing the small pouch but, as you can see from the image, it does come in two different sizes. It uses the same print as the dish towel so has the same aesthetic and tactile qualities that I mentioned there. It feels very robust and I'm going to use mine for all my acoustic guitar accessories so that they're not loose in my bag – even the small one was able to comfortably hold a capo, a tuner, a cleaning cloth and some plectrums without looking distorted or feeling bulky.
Pencil case – Koala's 4tet
This is a very cute little pencil case. While you can see the design in the image, what doesn't come across is the way the colours really pop. There's a slight synthetic feel to the material but it doesn't feel cheap – it's clear from the stitching and print detailing that this has been well-designed and produced. The zip moved a bit stiffly but this is a small quibble with an otherwise great gift.
Assorted stationery
Included in my review pack was an assortment of musical stationery, including pens, pencils and a ruler, all with different designs. My personal favourite was the magnetised pencil, which now has a permanent place on my music stand, but all of them are made to a high standard with very pretty designs, especially the ‘tenuto’ pencil (pictured). Pair a selection of these with the pencil case and you've got a very nice gift.
Folder
The design is lovely and bold, and the material is nice and shiny. Be careful not to overfill it though – on more than one occasion, the plastic tabs that provide support gave way and all my papers spilled out on the ground.
