Music Teacher's Helper Blog

For many music teachers, we either work out of our homes, out of a studio, or in a music store. If you have a studio, you most likely have an office space, and this article can help you too. If you teach in private homes or a store, then you probably have to set up office space in your home. Let’s talk about ways to keep it under control.

First of all, space is the first thing to discuss. If you have an extra room, perfect. You are going to need it for your music library, computer, printer/copier, file cabinet, etcetera etcetera. If not, don’t worry. I’ve been there too. That’s what desk armoirs are for! If the latter is for you, then look online at all the furniture shopping sites, or go to craigslist, and start searching for one that fits your tastes and your wallet. You will have to claim a spot in the house that this furniture piece will go. The best thing about this option is that you can shut the doors at the end of the day, and it just looks like a beautiful cabinet.

If you have an extra room, then choose to use whatever style desk you want. There are a few items you must have to stay organized: bookcase or bookshelves, a printer with built in copier, computer, pens/pencils, paper, envelopes, organization trays, labels, 3 ring binders. If you want to get super fancy, throw in a TV with a DVD/VHS player to conduct research. A cozy couch is also nice if you feel like lounging while you work. This is were you will plan lessons, research music, and market your business, so you want it to be comfortable.

Now some of the things on the above list are obvious, but here on the specifics on some of them:

Bookcase: Use this ONLY for work related books. Don’t confuse your space with romance novels and cook books. Put them in a different room. Keep your books of sheet music, music history, and business topics here. Organize the music books into genres and categorize those sections with labels. Do the same with the business and history books.

Organization Trays/Labels: Buy 5 stackable desk trays and label each one for the days of the week that you teach. Keep them close to the door if possible, and each time you have a book or a handout for one of your students, put it in the tray of their lesson day. This way, when Monday comes a long, all you have to do is grab whatever is in that Monday tray and sort it out as the day goes on.

3 Ring Binders/Labels/Sheet Protectors: Do you use musicnotes.com as much as I do? Up until last week, I just had a stack of loose sheet music overtaking my office. Get at least 8 three-ring binders and label each one for a different genre (rock, classical, jazz, pop, etc.) Put the sheet music in sheet protectors and file them accordingly. I know I was amazed at how much sheet music I actually had after I was done with this! If you ever need some inspiration for choosing music for students, just think about their favorite style and flip through that book to get an idea.

The 3 topics above are the most important things to do to stay organized. The rest is pretty basic: Keep your printer easily accessible, keep stamps and envelopes, as well as paper and pens near your desk at all times. Keep a bulletin board close by or turn the whole wall into a bulletin board with this stuff.  I am personally considering turning an entire wall of my office into a chalkboard.

I hope this article will inspire you to get a little spring cleaning done and organize that office. Please leave any comments and suggestions on how you stay organized. I’m sure we could all benefit from your experiences.