Comments on: Taming the Sheet Music Tiger

By: Taming The Sheet Music Tiger – Part 4 – DIY Footswitch « Music Teacher’s Helper Blog

Sat, 23 Oct 2010 05:01:54 +0000

[...] Part 1 [...]

By: Brittany

Brittany — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 04:40:59 +0000

Hey Bracket. Thanks for sharing the link to APARAE. I definitely welcome input and links to additional resources.

By: Bracket

Bracket — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 17:45:52 +0000

Thank you Brittany. What a great article.

I’ve found it interesting how computers seem to really be helping with the chart monster.

I play the drums. For the longest time, I’ve just used sheets on a stand… but these days I’ve been experimenting with a laptop. I’ve found APARAE (www.aparae.com). It seems, at least for drummers, to do a good job of displaying a collection of charts that you can advance through as you play your gig.

By: Tucson Bass Player

Tucson Bass Player — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 06:51:26 +0000

Great work Brittany. You always bring something special to the table, or should I say stage. And it is your stage! Thanks

By: Cynthia Wunsch

Cynthia Wunsch — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 16:50:21 +0000

And now I remember why I deal only with classical music! For an extremely reasonable price, the whole repertoire comes already on CD in pdf format and includes permission to print as many copies as needed, without regard for copyright, since the works are in the public domain. So far I have access to over eight million pages of sheet music, more than I or my students will ever perform, and more becomes available every year. Even those rare works which I have jealously guarded through the decades are now available digitally.

As far as laptops, special equipment, etc., that is not really necessary. With a little ingenuity, you can find perfectly suitable display devices for under $100, sometimes you can even get them used or remaindered for under $50.

By: Michelle Payne

Michelle Payne — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:11:52 +0000

Love this idea! I am going to have to try it. I have so much musicnotes.com sheets. It’s getting very messy in my office. About copyright, it is illegal except for educational use. But let me ask you this: have you ever actually heard of anyone enforcing this law? I didn’t think so.

By: Brittany

Brittany — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:15:36 +0000

Hey gang, thanks for all the great feedback. I am glad that you are finding this info useful.

Leah, this is the clearest description of United States copyright law and photocopying for classroom use that I could find. Hope this answers some of your questions:

http://irt.austincc.edu/copyright/fairuse/photocopying.html

Ronnie, I found my HP on eBay, and found a seller doing a “Buy It Now or Best Offer” deal. I offered him $50, and he accepted it. Geeks.com was the online retailer where I origianlly saw the HP, and they were selling them for $59.99 plus shipping. I wanted to buy on eBay because I received a $50 eBay gift certificate at Christmas.

I had another comment in a separate email from a friend. He commented that he wouldn’t feel comfortable going on a gig with a PC. He would have to carry a paper backup in the car, so that defeated the whole purpose of doing this.

I replied that I intended to use my laptop for teaching at first, and then migrate it slowly into gig use as I learned the system. For awhile I would stash my chart book in the car as a backup. I’m not worried about carrying backups while teaching because the studio where I work sells books, so I can go downstairs and borrow a copy if needed. My students should have their books anyway!

Once I get comfortable teaching and gigging with the laptop, I will probably buy a tablet PC. Then I will bring the laptop along as my backup. This will allow me to go completely paperless.

Sounds good in theory anyway…we will see what I find out in practical application.

This first week, it has been great to carry my personal practice items to lessons without the bulk of 2 extra books and another binder. So to me, that’s already a success.

Thanks!

By: Ronnie Currey

Ronnie Currey — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:05:21 +0000

Great system. School Districts and large corporations do the same, and then shred the hard copies. I researched the HP Scanjet 8250 and the reviews were great. Amazon had used 8250′s for $65 in excellent condition. Thanks for the insight into “Clutter”!

By: Ed Pearlman

Ed Pearlman — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 04:15:38 +0000

Your timing is great. I’ve been thinking for some time about a way to put lots of my sheet music on PDF. I do it now but it requires one sheet at a time and I don’t mind that when I need to crop and edit and add text, etc., but the fact is that I have many sheets and folders from past music groups and music camps and I’d love to have easier access to them. I’ll be looking into your suggestions, thanks!

By: Leah Coutts

Leah Coutts — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 02:26:30 +0000

Wow, you’re not going to know yourself! Feeling organised is a great feeling! My only question is regarding copyright… in Australia, it is a copyright infringement to photocopy a piece for your own use even if you own the book… very weird, and I don’t understand why. Is it the same in the states? Also, if I order a book, and I’ve paid for it, it is still illegal for me to photocopy the music while I wait for mine to arrive. I personally don’t have any issues with photocopying for personal use, but thought I’d ask about the laws in the US?