How to Preserve, Store, and Bind Printed Music – Plus FREE covers!

Bind Printed Music and Turn Wrinkled Sheet Music into Something Beautiful

I’ve been asked several times over the last few months about how to keep student’s printed music (from studio licenses) from looking like a wrinkled, chocolate-stained mess. It’s a valid question and I thought it would be fun to answer it in a video!

After you watch, be sure to scroll down for a FREE set of covers!

How to preserve, store, and bind printed music from digital license | composecreate.com

Here’s What Is Mentioned in the How To Bind Printed Music Video:

GBC Proclick Binding Machine – I feel like I’ve gotten my investment back many times over because I can use this for assignment journals, summer camps, Rhythm Menagerie, and more. It’s easy to open and close and even re-open to add things.  I believe it is the best tool to bind printed music for yourself.

GBC Binding Spines 5/16 inch – These are slightly smaller than what I show in the video. They store 45 sheets of paper

GBC Binding Spines 1/2 inch – These are the ones that I show in the video. They store 85 sheets of paper.

Cover Stock Parchment Paper – You can also find this at Staples and other office supply stores.

How to bind printed music and a free download for printable covers! | composecreate.comDownload Your FREE Music Covers Here:

 

Read More:

Here is some of our most popular digital studio licensed music (they also come as prints). Purchase the studio license for each piece and you can make as many prints as you need for your students as long as you teach!

32 thoughts on “How to Preserve, Store, and Bind Printed Music – Plus FREE covers!”

  1. Good question, Rebecca. They have had no trouble holding up to my students’ use. Maybe some other teachers who use this system can also comment.

  2. Thank You Wendy! I’ve been researching binding machines for weeks now and haven’t found one suitable partly because of cost, but mostly because of permanence. I can’t believe I never came across the ProClick binder. I just ordered one and can’t wait to give it a go! Thanks again for all you do to bring us inspiration and useful tools.

  3. Good question, Ginny. It’s very easy. With all binders, you just have to remember not to overstuff them. You’ll notice on the links I provided above that there is a page capacity. So, as long as it’s below that page capacity, you’ll be fine. I tend to like the bigger of the 2 sizes because it takes a while to fill it and ensures that turning is super easy.

  4. Do you know if you can use this tool to re-bind your books of sacred piano arrangements that are falling apart? The pages are somewhat bigger (9 x 11.75) overall than standard printer paper (8.5 x 11).

  5. Hi Wendy,
    This is a great, reasonably-priced, flexible solution. Thanks for bringing it to our attention! As you say, I’m sure the students will think it’s great fun, always a plus at piano lessons. And thanks for the covers, they are wonderful!

  6. Hi Leonore,

    Let’s see. I just checked and the hole punching machine only fits 11 inch music. So, unless they have a bigger one, then no, it wouldn’t worked with the bigger sheet music. Just 8.5×11 paper.

  7. Can you use wire coil binding with this machine too? I’m thinking a few of my students are pretty rough and tough on books and wire might hold up better.
    I love this idea and will purchase one of theses machines. Thanks for the tip!

  8. Hi Johanna,

    I don’t think they have wire binding with this machine because the beauty of it is that it can zip and unzip which I don’t think they could do very well with wires. I think this particular machine only works with the plastic ones that I have listed above. But they are pretty strong. It’s not like the old plastic flimsy binding they used to use a lot.

  9. What a great idea! I use a binder system for most of the year, which works, but isn’t super special. This would be great for binding some of the collections of music I’ve bought in the last year. Thanks so much for sharing!

  10. One of my kiddos has a black lab who got ahold of her Christmas book! There was a bite taken out of the front cover! Yikes!!

    Thanks for the advice Wendy!

  11. I have had this system for about a year. I use it when I want to collect music or themed handouts together in a book for students. The coils are very sturdy and mine have held up nicely.

  12. The worse printed music that came into my studio was one that had been run over by a car – a couple of times! Lovely tire tracks!! Love this idea!

  13. Thanks Wendy, I never thought of takind advantage of the refillable capability of these bindings! I prefer this method to placing sheets in binders because it’s hard to write on the pages since they don’t lay flat, and the rings get in the way. The worst is using plastic sheet protectors in binders – then you can’t write on the pages without having to take the sheet out, etc.

    Sometimes I print short public domain pieces for my students directly onto cardstock (from old certificates) so they’re more durable. Probably my favorite method is taping single sheets DIRECTLY onto the front inside cover and title pages of students’ repertoire books – there are usually a few pages you can use for this purpose. That way everything’s together, nice and safe. You can also do the same on manila folders, and kids can decorate the cover.

    BTW, my 6 yo student and I LOVE “There Is Something In My Piano” – I bought the studio license. Very cute and inventive, though I might change the words for m. 26-30 to “waiting in the crack of F and A and even E” with your permission. : )

  14. Oh, I forgot to mention that I’ve had students literally tell me their dog ATE their music – with the bite marks to prove it.

  15. Hi, Wendy! I love the easy aspect of this binding machine! Do you know if it binds thicker papers like card stock or laminated papers?

  16. Hi Sarah,

    Card stock, yes, but obviously not many can be punched at the same time. I kind of doubt laminated papers could. I wouldn’t try and it and haven’t because I don’t want to dull the punching apparatus.

    Hope that helps!

  17. That’s the exact setup I have had for years, and as for durability I’ve never had a spine break yet. I do have 2 other binding systems, but I don’t usually use them for students because I love the ability of the proclick to add pages.

  18. Thanks for these covers, Wendy. I’ve been using the pro-click system for a couple of years, thanks to your suggestion. For making the cover a little sturdier for students, I have been using up some old overhead projector clear plastic sheets. They go through the machine one at a time just fine, and it really helps keep things clean. Used it on my rhythm menagerie books, and they held up a lot better.

  19. I am SUPER excited to have come across this! Thank you for the great video tutorial and recommendation. I need to look at this past years’ bank statement to see how much I’ll save by printing and binding music myself. Not to mention the time I’ll save going to and from Staples. Bonus!

  20. Wendy, how easy it to turn the pages with this system? I am a teacher but also play professionally and I am always plagued by the page turns. I like the idea of putting together my sets without lugging 15 books around!

  21. Hi Lori,

    The page turns are what they would usually be in any book, except that they actually stay flat once you turn them. So you don’t have to worry about it going shut on you.

    I hope that helps!

  22. I watched your video and rushed out to buy one!
    BIG Problem… Sheet music is 9×12. This binder only does 11″ paper! Not a good solution for those of us that collect loose store bought sheet music. 🙁

  23. Hi Patrick,

    That’s a good point. The binder is really specific to US size paper, so this is intended to be used for printing out digital music that you print in your home…like you would do if you purchase studio licenses from ComposeCreate.com. It’s really a good solution for binding traditional 9×12 pieces.

  24. Wendy, I noticed that your binding machine is the 6 pg capacity. Do the GBC machines with a larger pg capacity work the same way with the coils & zipper? Thanks!–Wendy Bramhall McGee

  25. Hi Wendy,

    That’s interesting. Maybe the links I originally put in there years ago changed recently, but my GBC machine has always been an 80 page capacity machine, so yes, I do know that the larger capacity works the same way.

  26. I would like to download the free covers (they are so great!) but the link seems to be broken. Any chance I could get them another way?

  27. Leigh Stringfield

    I’m just now seeing this video and article about your binding system. I like it! I’ve always put their sheets in a binder with the assignment pages and of course they forget to practice those pieces of music since they never look at the assignment pages. I can’t get the link for your free covers to work. Are you still offering these cool covers? Thanks for the video since I’ve a visual learner!

  28. How has this post been around for SEVEN YEARS and I am JUST NOW seeing it?!?! You, Wendy, are my spirit animal. As you were talking I was sitting here nodding my head, saying, “EXACTLY!!” to all the downsides of using binders and trying to keep printed sheet music “tidy.”

    I’ve been using binders for the past 9 or 10 years, and I absolutely adore the flexibility and customizability but you already know all the cons of that system. I asked about recs for other options on PTC and someone directed me here! I make my own covers (with my studio logo and student names) so I won’t need the free covers, but I will definitely be checking out the ProClick system and probably purchasing one for my studio! Do you know if it’s an issue if the pages have already been 3-hole punched?

    THANK YOU SO MUCH for this incredible resource! I’m just sorry it took me so long to find it! 🙂

  29. Thank you so much for you video. As an accompanist, more and more of my music is digital, and this may be an option for organizing (though I tend to simply use 3 ring binders and sheet protectors). As I used your amazon link, I am confused where it says “Six sheet punch capacity” I’m assuming it means one can only punch 6 sheets of paper at a time, any more than that, and I guess one moves up to the electric almost $200 ones? But do those larger swinglines also use this zip comb binding? And I could not see where the binding combs are sold separately? How many combs come with the swingline “punch” that is around $100? Thanks again, I’m ALWAYS looking for better ways to organize. One person asked how to organize the music, and I’ll throw my suggestion if it helps…again, as an accompanist, more than not, I’m looking for a certain “Title” of music, like “Amazing Grace”. So, I have several large D ring binders with alpha tabs, and I arrange by title. But, I also have some favorite arrangers/artists. So, these I put in a separate binder, again, usually apha by title of song. Hope this is helpful 🙂

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