As a former elementary instrumental music teacher, I fully understand how quickly one's yearly school budget can disappear. It seems that there is never enough money to order everything your students need and teacher’s are often left with the burden of spending their own money to fill in the gaps.

Instrumental music programs are notoriously expensive, with strings programs being at the top. Between expensive instrument repairs, the cost of instruments themselves, multiple accessories (shoulder rest, rosin, Bow Hold Buddies®, etc.), music books and purchasing new concert repertoire, the budget is never enough. For many families, the cost of renting an instrument and a method book is too much. A way that you can support both students in need and your program is by setting up a Wishlist and getting your student’s parents involved.

This is not a guarantee that you will get everything you put on your wishlist, but it is a fantastic way to let parents that can afford to make a donation to get involved. As always, check with your district for the exact protocols regarding wishlists.

There are many sites that promote the Wishlist feature:

• Donors Choose
• Teacher List
• Teacher Wish Lists
• Gift Hero
• Target
• Amazon
• Oriental Trading
• GiftYou

Additionally, there are many programs and non-profits that are specifically designed to help teachers get their Amazon Wishlists fully funded, like GetYourTeachOn.com. For tips & tricks on how to #clearthelist, refer to this article by WeAreTeachers.com.

I’ve created my Wishlist, now what? Once you have created your list, you can share it with your network by either sending the link directly or publishing it where you think best. Again, check with your district if you are allowed to share with your students parents directly. If you are allowed to reach out directly, I would suggest reading this article by Elementary Assessments for tips on how and when to make your “ask”. If you are not allowed to share your Wishlist with parents directly, share to your personal social media instead! To make your post pop, I suggest a simple image to grab the eye. You can either create your own image or use one of our free images below - be sure to share with your personalized wishlist link.