Help Yourself: Filing Templates
I struggle with keeping all my music in order and knowing how to file it. Should I combine hymn arrangements and free harmonizations? Should Leo Sowerby’s arrangements go under ‘art music’ or ‘hymn settings’? If I am not careful, I am going to waste one of my five questions when I get to heaven on something like, “Where should I file an anthology that has some hymn arrangements, some art music, and is mostly Christmas repertoire, but has a few Easter pieces in there as well?”
At any rate, I’ve settled on the following categories for my music filing. Using this system, I can file and access all of my library with ease. It takes a while to get things organized, but it streamlines the process of being music librarian. The following link is a pdf of my labels that can be printed out on a standard mailing label (1″ x 2 5/8′) sheet. Hope it helps!
Help Yourself: Fall Advertisement Postcard
I just finished creating the fall flyer for musical events at CathedralLite – not a moment too soon. One of the hardest things for me is to remember to do publicity, but it is so crucial. People have internet, email, newspaper(?), bulletins, TV, facebook etc all competing for their attention. So, you have to work hard to communicate past all of the other noise.
I create these with intention: put them in bulletins, yes. But also, leave them in the narthex, by the main office desk, give them to choir members so they pass the postcards on to friends. CathedralLite hosts a lot of outside concerts, so I try to put them in the pews for concert goers to peruse.
Remember, done is better than perfect. Any advertising is better than no advertising. I could go on, but you get the idea.
I’ve modified this to a generic version for download as a .pdf. Specific details are taken out (like events and the words “First Methodist”), allowing this to be used by other music programs as well.
Note if you are into graphic design: I saved it with ‘preserve Illustrator editing capabilities’ checked, so you should have some flexibility if you are comfortable with Illustrator. The script typeface is “Reliant” (Limited Free Version) which is available at dafont.com. The photograph is by me.