Holiday Shopping Guide for Choral Geeks

Are you worried about the dwindling number of shopping days before Christmas? Do you have a Choral Geek in your life? Look no farther; we've done the research and are here to help you. Here are 25 possibilities for you, from simple stocking stuffer to potentially life-changing gesture.

Basic equipment

The most important part of a singer's equipment comes already installed, but there are some pieces of equipment that make singing well both easier and more fun. Help out your own Choral Geek with one of these:

1. Who doesn't sing their best in the shower? The singer in your life will have a blast singing along to their own favorite choral works channeled through this Bluetooth shower speaker — it'll become their favorite warm-up.

2. Singers spend a lot of time standing in rehearsal, holding a folder full of music, Kleenex, pencils, cough drops, etc. Having their stuff clattering to the floor is a drag. A folder without a hand strap makes your fingers tired. A classy choral music folder with the appropriate accoutrements and their name embossed on the cover will just make their singing lives better.

3. A gross of pencils. Because rehearsal. Also, it'll make 'em laugh.

4. A Handbook of Diction for Singers: German, Italian, French by David Adams. Any choral singer will wind up singing in the Romance languages (and German!), given time — make it easier for them.

5. Who says singers can't count? Help your Choral Geek to hone their ability to keep the beat with this cutting-edge wearable metronome. Practicing will never be the same.

Instrument protection

Singers' instruments are inside their bodies, so they should eat well, stay in shape, get plenty of rest and avoid sniffly toddlers and the sneezer in the cubicle next door. We all know the drill, and singers should also pay attention to The Two Hs: Hearing and Hydration:

1. Protect your favorite Choral Geek's hearing with these Bluetooth headphones that use bone conduction technology and noise cancellation. S/he can keep the volume lower, and won't have to put anything inside her/his ear, which is safer over the long term.

2. Staying hydrated is extra-important, and the right water bottle makes it easy. This Classical MPR Kleen Kanteen is made of stainless steel with a comfortable lip. It's BPA-free, lightweight, durable and also comes with a membership to Minnesota Public Radio, sponsor of the Choral Works Initiative!

Wearables

1. All musicians — all musicians — have received their share of cheesy music swag. This tie is not that. It's a beautiful imported-silk tie inscribed with the music of J S Bach — created by Josh Bach!

2. This t-shirt will be a head-turner at rehearsal. Go ahead and take a moment to tell your favorite "musicians must be crazy" joke. We'll wait.

3. OK, this green MPR hoodie is really nice. No joke. 100 percent cotton, available in S to XXL and covered in music!

Good reads

1. Imperfect Harmony: Finding Happiness Singing with Others by Stacy Horn
   This was written by an amateur choral geek who spends her days as a writer. It's well-researched and very engaging. Anyone who has ever sung in a choir will find many relatable moments in this book! Highly recommended.

2. Secret Lives of the Great Composers by Elizabeth Lunday
   If music history class had been more like this, I'm betting there'd have been less dozing off. Find out why 12-year-old Mozart narrowly missed aggravating the Pope, why Beethoven had a hard time getting a date, and which composer simultaneously conducted and accompanied Bach's St Matthew Passion despite having been given the WRONG SCORE.

3. Choral Music in the 20th Century by Nick Strimple
   For serious Choral Geeks who want to understand the development of choral music around the world in the last 100 years. Truly, it's very interesting! And for those who want to go even farther back, he also wrote a book on the 19th century.

Good listens

The 2015 Grammy noms are out; you can't go wrong with any of them (though MPR Choral Guy Tesfa Wondemagegnehu discusses them here):

1. Beethoven: Missa Solemnis — Bernart Haitink, conductor; Chor & Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

2. Monteverdi: Vespers of 1610 — Harry Christophers, conductor; The Sixteen

3. Pablo Neruda: The Poet Sings — Craig Hella Johnson, conductor; Conspirare

4. Stephen Paulus: Far in the Heavens — Eric Holtan, conductor; True Concord Voices and Orchestra

5. Rachmaninoff: All-Night Vigil — Charles Bruffy, conductor; Kansas City and Phoenix Chorales

6. Or, for some Minnesota-homegrown holiday music with its own nomnomnoms (recipes for Christmas dinner from The Splendid Table's Lynne Rossetto Kasper), give Taste of the Holidays, vol. 6 a try.

Developing the next generation of Choral Geeks

They might be living in your house … or halfway around the world. You can help them grow!

1. This tiny piano by Korg sounds great, and will be fun for a budding musician — but it's also practical for the singer whose apartment is too small for a Steinway; it has a range just big enough for a choral voice part!

2. These rainbow sound blocks are stimulating for the tiniest singers and also simply beautiful enough for a place on the coffee table once the baby's outgrown them.

3. Music is great for brain development and also for bridging divides, building communities and healing the wounds of war. Why not make an honorary contribution in your singer's name to musicianswithoutborders.org? It'll make the world just a little bit better.

Sweeping romantic gestures

So you're in love with a Choral Geek … and maybe casting about for a really romantic way to show them how much you care? Here are a few swoon-worthy ideas:

1. Say it with flowers … maybe with a bouquet of sheet music made just for your Special Someone.

2. Is there a piece that your SweetGeek really loves to sing? Have it made into a painting and delight them with beauty and thoughtfulness.

3. If you REALLY want to wow your SweetGeek (or your child, or your music teacher), find a composer they like and commission a new choral work in her/his honor. This will be a spendier option, but it's timeless.

4. Pro tip: If you get a singer cologne/perfume, make it something you really like. They can't wear it in choir, so it'll be worn just for you!

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