Gifts for piano teachers can be tricky to come up with. Many teachers are showered with chocolate every year from well-meaning students…but what about something different? What gifts for piano teachers will be truly loved and used?
Whether you’re looking for a gift for a piano teacher friend, or for yourself, I hope this list will be helpful.
Please note: This post contains some affiliate links. Buying from one of these links does not cost you anything, but I do receive a small referral fee for sending you which goes towards the cost of running this site.
Book Gifts for Piano Teachers
There tends to be some downtime over the Christmas break. We’re out of our usual routine and we tend to have a half an hour here and there while we wait for the oven to heat up or our family to arrive.
I find this is a time of year when I can get a good amount of reading done. I like to read (or re-read) a classic over Christmas, but I’ll also usually get through at least one teaching book.
Here are some of my favourite books that all piano teachers will enjoy.
The Dynamic Studio
This book was a revelation when I read it. It’s inspiring and practical at the same time.
The Savvy Music Teacher
If you have a piano teacher friend that struggles with the business side of teaching this is the book for them.
Don’t get me wrong though, this is not some dull business textbook. David Cutler is engaging and funny while delivering the practical business advice that teachers need to hear.
Click here to buy this book on Amazon.
Play it Again
This one is a bit out of left field. It’s not specifically a teaching book – but it is a great book for piano teachers to read.
Play it Again follows the journey of a busy amateur pianist as he tries to conquer a difficult piece while balancing a regular life and work. I think it can give teachers a great insight into our adult students and the challenges they face.
Punished by Rewards
This one is a little heavier. I listened to the audiobook (by the way, an Audible subscription is another great gift idea for a busy piano teacher!) so I can’t say exactly how much focus would be required to read the text, but I don’t imagine it to be an easy read.
The Piano Practice Physician’s Handbook
I had to put in a wee plug for my own book here. It’s a quick, light and enjoyable read that I believe would be perfect for holiday reading.
Stationery Gifts for Piano Teachers
Ok, call us nerds if you like. But most piano teachers I know love stationery.
Extra special stationary makes fantastic gifts for piano teachers. Here are my top picks that piano teachers will love. 😍
Iwako Puzzle Erasers
Iwako erasers have taken the piano teaching community by storm in recent years.
These are fantastic because, apart from being adorable, they’re the perfect size to fit on the piano keys. You can see how I use them to teach keyboard geography here.
They also work great as game tokens for playing games from Vibrant Music Teaching.
Click here to find a set on Amazon.
Pilot Frixion Pens/Markers
Pilot Frixion are the most erasable erasables. That makes them perfect for marking music when it needs to be cleaned off later (such as for an exam or festival piece).
You can get markers, highlighters and pens in lots of different colours. Click here to find some on Amazon.
Paper Oh! Notebooks
Piano teachers make a lot of notes. Which makes notebooks great gifts for piano teachers.
My personal absolute favourite notebooks are called “Paper Oh!”. These have really beautiful quality paper which is lovely to write on, and they’re bound in a way that they actually lie flat when they’re open.
Click here to find one on Amazon.
Do you have ideas for gifts for piano teachers?
Leave a comment below so we can get more ideas for interesting and unique gifts for piano teachers.
Great ideas! I love the stationery one. Those Iwako erasers are SO MUCH FUN. I love it when I get an opportunity to use them in a lesson! 😉 What about gift cards for sheet music/music books? 😀
Great ideas! (Although as a severe chocoholic, I must admit that the idea of too much chocolate is foreign to me. Feel free to send me any you don’t want ). I agree that Punished by Rewards is a worthwhile read. Very thought-provoking.
I go through a lot of colored post it flags for marking elements in students music. Clear contact paper for covering music and games is also a nice practical gift. I like the idea of erasers and notebooks too! An amazon gift card for picking music for personal enjoyment would definitely be better for my health than chocolate by I would really enjoy them both, just might have to spend more time watching your webinars while on my exercise bike to work off the chocolate!
I think a gift card (Visa Card, a favourite café, a music store that sells music books and Cd’s and instruments, a department store, etc.). Many students take off for Christmas,had colds and were absent, leaving teachers strapped for cash. I would say no for chocolates or wine. A teacher may need groceries, shoes, a new coat, clothes; basic needs.
Larry if you are still giving makeup lessons or not charging a flat tuition fee I suggest you switch over. You should not be losing income because of colds and events in December. Find out more about that here: https://colourfulkeys.ie/payment-policies-for-piano-teachers-which-one-is-right-for-you/
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