As you can imagine, as a musician and music teacher, I have a fair amount of music books and teaching materials. I also happen to be a minimalist and do not like having extra stuff around, especially if it looks messy. So this year, I decided to pare down my music stuff to one bookshelf and one bag in my teaching space. Then other lesser used books can be boxed and stored out of the way, but still where I can get to them.
Here is what I have found most helpful. I have a three shelf bookcase. The top two shelves contain music books that I use, either for my own practice or for my students. The bottom shelf has a plastic tub with all the extra "stuff" I need access to, but do not need out. The top of the bookshelf has three magazine holders on it. One has music I am working on. Another has music my students are working on. The last holds my little white board and flashcards, it the most commonly used items to supplement my teaching. Oh, and my laptop and headset are on the top of the bookcase too. I have a mug on top of my piano with pencils and dry erase markers (for the little whiteboard) This has all the things I commonly use in easy reach and looking tidy, which is really helpful.
So, what about your practice space? Here are a few things to keep in mind. Make sure that each student/musician in your family as easy access to their practice books that they are currently using. Make sure you don't have to dig through ten books to get to the one you need. Keep pencils at the piano. This will help so much when you need to make notes, etc. Baskets and magazine holders can hold music books and look nice in your decor. Happy organized practicing!
Comments