Gift for a music director

April 17, 2017 7:09 AM

I want to make a gift for the music director of my church. She leads 3 choirs (brass, vocal, bells) and works with many solists. Probably 45-50 people total. I am a decent amateur artist, and I'd like to make something that incorporates the signatures of all the people she works with, in mixed media (paper, paint, collage, etc.). The only problem is -- I have no idea what to make. What would you suggest?
posted by OrangeDisk to Media & Arts (6 answers total)

Maybe a poster - something that references or uses your scores / programs from the past year? You could incorporate the signatures or have it framed with the signatures on a separate surface.
posted by bunderful at 8:45 AM on April 17, 2017 [1 favorite]

An oversized, stiff-sided folio/folder that can hold the larger sheet music. Musicians are always after the larger format "music folders" and stiff ones that don't get bent in your bag are hard to find!
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 9:33 AM on April 17, 2017

A friend of mine uses a large white table cloth at her dinner parties which new guests get to sign. She then embroiders over their signature. You could do something like that if you're adept at embroidery.
posted by Dragonness at 1:45 PM on April 17, 2017

I'm a pastor, and when I got assigned to a new congregation, the church did a very nice thing for my wife: they bought a hymnal for our denomination and everyone in the church who wanted to signed their name on the page with their favorite hymn on it. I was looking at it today, and it is filled with wonderful memories.
posted by 4ster at 6:52 PM on April 17, 2017

If there is a particular piece of music that is meaningful to him or to the church, blow it up to a largish size and have everyone sign that.

This works particularly well for wedding anthems, also, with all the members of the choir and clergy signing it. I've had mine for over 30 years now and still love it.
posted by SLC Mom at 10:05 AM on April 19, 2017

Or you could make a collage with pictures of the church, and the different musical groups. Cut out the people's signatures and incorporate them in at different heights and all over the roof.
posted by SLC Mom at 10:08 AM on April 19, 2017