DIY Music Binder Tutorial- How To Organize Sheet Music

I came up with this tutorial for how to make an organized music practice binder for my son and I thought it may be useful to others. He plays piano for school and I needed to get his music sheets and music binder more organized to easily keep track of his practice records, sheet music, and music rewards. I’ll share my tips with you here. A music binder is a great way to organize your sheet music, whether you’re a musician, teacher, or student.

This post is brought to you by Post-It Brand. It features a fun DIY project using 3 ring binders and products from the new Post-it Study collection.

Practice Is Easier With Music Binder

Loose leaf music is hard to keep track of, protect from damage, and make stand up straight while you play. That is why a music binder comes in handy to store sheet music, and organize your lesson materials. Regularly update your music binder with new pieces and remove any music you no longer need. This will help keep your binder organized and easy to use. It is a huge upgrade from a sheet music folder.

Sheet Music Binder Supplies:

• 3-Ring Binder
• Weekly Practice Sheets (So the teacher can write the assignment for the week and your child can record what they did each day.)
• Sheet Music
• A few sheets of white paper
• Hole punch
• Marker
• Post-it Study Notes
• 1 Post-it Study Pocket or pocket folder
• Dividers or Post-it Study Binder Tabs
• plastic sheet protectors (optional)

Select a sturdy binder that can hold all your music sheets. A three-ring binder is often ideal, as it allows you to easily add or remove pages. A hinged reinforced black vinyl cover is a popular choice and required by some music teachers for performances.

Use dividers to separate different types of music or categories (e.g., classical, pop, jazz). You can also use dividers to separate different instruments or voices if you play multiple instruments or sing.

How To Organize Sheet Music In A Binder:

First gather all of your materials together.  I gathered my son too so that he could learn the value of organization and how it is done while we worked together on how to organize piano sheet music.

We created my son’s Sheet Music Binder cover using a sheet of white paper and the Post-it Study Notes.  We used the Post-it Study Notes and a marker to clearly mark my son’s name and the purpose of the book.  My son then continued using the Post-it Notes to label things all over the toy room.  That boy cracks me up!

Next, we added the Post-it Study Pocket to the front of the three-ring binder. It is basically a pocket folder that has a velcro closure. This was a simple step but I am so excited about it because it holds my son’s music practice money that he earns when his teacher can tell he has been doing well with his practices.  (Before we had the super nifty Post-it Study Pocket, we kept it in a handy Ziploc bag but the bag was always falling out of his binder and getting lost.) Anyway, this is a good idea at the front of the binder for kids that need incentive to practice.

Music Binder Organization

When it comes to organizing sheet music, you may simply do so alphabetically by title or composer. You may also need to create a tab for each category of sheet music whether it is for school or lesson or for different styles of music.

Behind the Post-it Study Pocket, we made a page to mark the start of his current sheet music. We added a Yellow Post-it Study Binder Tab to make it easy to spot the division. Next, we hole punched the title page and inserted in the music binder. Alternatively, you could use pre-made divider pages for this purpose. Then we hole punched his sheet music and added those pages to his music binder. The Post-it Study Binder Tabs are also useful for color coding current music that you are working on if you are doing several pieces at once.

Finally, we made another title page for his piano sheet music that he has already mastered. Then we used another Post-it Study Binder Tab in a different color to make that section easy to find.

Tips For Organizing Sheet Music

You may find that music sheet protectors come in handy if the music binder will be doing a lot of traveling in order to prevent pages tearing out. Consider using sheet protectors to keep your music sheets safe from damage if you often take your music binder to rehearsals or performances. Since my son’s binder only travels once a week, we don’t find it necessary.

However, for his older sister who brings her music binder to school daily, we do find page protectors to be a better way. She uses the plastic sleeves to keep the music from tearing out. She also uses tab dividers to be able to easily separate sheet music for her private lessons and for her school music band program. My daughter organizes old music alphabetically by the composer in the back of her sheet music binder. You could organize sheet music by alphabetical order of song title if you prefer.

Conclusion

That is how to organize sheet music in a binder.  You are done!  Sit back and enjoy the benefits of having an organized music binder.  You may also enjoy tips for getting your kids to practice for their music lessons.  What instrument does your child play and how long have they been taking lessons?

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