Old gift cards get new life as guitar picks

Music director Jill Oekten punches out guitar picks with the pick punch. Photo by Grace Miller

Music director Jill Oekten punches out guitar picks with the “pick punch.” Photo by Grace Miller

By Grace Miller – Entertainment

Winter holidays always bring lots of gift cards that you use up in no time. After they are out of money, most people throw them away. LHS music director Jill Oetken has other plans for them.

The “Pick Punch” is very similar to a stapler, but it punches out guitar picks. Photo by Grace Miller

Oetken has a “pick punch” that punches out guitar picks for the students in her guitar classes to use. She also is open to students punching out their own picks for themselves. At Guitar Center, one guitar pick can sell for as much as $9.99. If you go to room 132, you can get a guitar pick for free if you have a used gift card.  

Jill Oetken has a collection of guitar picks made out of gift cards and old IDs for her guitar class to use. Photo by Grace Miller

“We don’t use picks a ton in guitar class…so to me it’s not something that I want to use my budget on,” Oetken said.

Her student assist has been punching out picks with a contraption that looks very similar to a stapler. Some students have been bringing in their old IDs and use their faces to play guitar with.