A huge part of utilizing studio-licensed music well is staying organized. But while there are many advantages to digital music, the disadvantage is that it’s “out of sight, out of mind!”
So Wendy has always suggested keeping a physical 3 ring binder notebook in your studio with one print of each of the digital pieces that you own. That way, when you need a particular piece, you can just reach for the holiday notebook, or the elementary notebook, or the intermediate notebook and have it right there ready to go! (And then you can put a post it note where you take out a song to replace it later.)
That’s why many ComposeCreate® teachers have enjoyed using our free notebook covers to decorate both their and their students’ music binders! In addition to downloaded our other covers (see bottom links), you can now you can get a free holiday notebook cover for the beloved All is Calm, All is Bright Collection! Use it for your notebooks, student binders, and even as your personal inventory (or wishlist) for which pieces you have, and which you want to buy next.
About the All is Calm, All is Bright Collection
Have you ever noticed how so many cherished Christmas songs are arranged in the same way? Wendy definitely noticed this, and decided to do something about it. This prompted her to compose the All is Calm, All is Bright collection – 13 pieces that are all written with a unique and fresh viewpoint, but still maintaining the character of each holiday favorite. The All is Calm, All is Bright series is one of her all-time favorites, and ours, too! The best part about these late intermediate/advancing compositions is that teachers love to play them as much as they love to teach them to students. Win/win! Here’s the complete series:
- Angels We Have Heard on High
- Deck the Hall Hoedown
- Ding Dong, Merrily on High
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
- Here We Come A-Caroling
- The Holly and the Ivy
- In the Bleak Midwinter
- Infant Holy, Infant Lowly
- It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
- O Come, O Come Emmanuel
- Silent Night
- Sing We Now of Christmas
- We Three Kings
- All is Calm CD by Wendy Stevens – This is a CD of all of the All is Calm, All is Bright pieces, performed and recorded by the composer!
The cover art for all thirteen pieces is represented on the beautiful All is Calm Collection notebook cover.
The importance of keeping your music organized
It’s a fact of life that when your digital music is out of sight, it’s out of mind. Staying organized is a key part to really using your music! The satisfaction that comes with digitally organized files, which in turn get printed and collected into tidy binders, is immense!
But isn’t printing outdated for some? Perhaps. However, printed copies in notebooks are useful for a variety of reasons:
- You don’t forget to use what you already have.
- You always have an extra copy on hand to give to a student whose copy is no longer useful.
- You can thumb through your titles when creating lesson plans.
- Kids can thumb through the music and be inspired to try out a new piece!
- You’re getting the greatest benefit from your studio-licensed music!
Plus, organized music gets a lovely “bow on top” with your free All is Calm, All is Bright Collection notebook cover! Nothing motivates students more than beautiful, artistic covers that spark curiosity to hear the music!
What do you think? Are you happiest when your music is tidy? Do you see a difference in your students’ curiosity when you have printed music?
Read more about organized music and get all of our free notebook covers!
- How to Organize Printed Sheet Music
- How to Organize Digital Music on Your Computer
- New Free Holiday Music Notebook Covers! – For your holiday music collection
- Free Music Notebook Covers – For general music – elementary and intermediate
