Organization of Schola Choir Music
  • monasteryliturgistmonasteryliturgist
    Posts: 393
    I am wondering, those of you who have scholas, how you organize your choir music. I have tried a number of things over the years and I still havent found something that I like.

    I've tried the following
    - Binder with three punch alphabetized with and without paper protectors (cons: without paper protector the pages break, with paper protectors its extremely heavy and too thick)
    -Clamp Binding Bound alphabetized in sections- marian, eucharistic, lenten, etc (cons: really difficult to add new music, breaks eventually, binding isnt strong)
    -Accordion folders alphabetized in sections (cons: not so sturdy, difficult to find what you are looking for)
    -Individual Folders in sections (cons: break easily, papers not protected well, difficult to transport)

    Would love to hear what yall have tried
  • TCJ
    Posts: 1,001
    I sometimes use masking tape where I am going to punch the holes, then punch them. It holds up quite well.
    Thanked by 3CHGiffen francis Bri
  • AdteBeateJoseph3
    Posts: 46
    We currently do the 1st way but we always switch out the music every Mass. I’m presuming you sing weekly or more than once a week. It depends how convenient you need the music. I’ve experienced also having all the music in one place, bound, and in seasonal sections. I prefer having the music hole punched and changing out the music for every Mass. If you have to write notes or reminders on the music, hole punched is the way to go.
    Thanked by 1monasteryliturgist
  • Liam
    Posts: 5,282
    One approach in the music library is also to number the music so that it will be kept within a given SATB voice in the future, so that pencilled markings are likely only to affect that voice.
  • Chant_Supremacist
    Posts: 138
    This year I used 'pressboard report binders' to make repertoire binders for each choir member for the year. They have worked very well so far and I'm happy with the choice.

    The three downsides are (1) due to the binding it's finicky to add new sheets (but this isn't something I want to do often anyway), (2) they don't readily lie flat or stay open on their own, and (3) not sure how to describe it exactly but the binding uses up a lot of the margin on the sheets.

    On the plus side, unlike cheap three-ring binders they look nice, feel nice, and are robust for the cost (~$5 each). They also protect the sheets well so the punched holes never tear or rip. I haven't seen any need for hole protectors or paper protectors. Despite their resistance to lying flat, I notice much less awkwardness and confusion with holding sheets and page turns than I did when we used loose sheets.

    For organization (currently each one contains about 100 pages) I made a table of contents, with our polyphonic settings of the ordinary at the front, then motets in alphabetical order, then chant hymns in alphabetical order. I got each choir member to number their own pages (they each "own" their binder). At the end of the year I plan to collect them all, add and remove repertoire for 2026, and create a new table of contents.
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen monasteryliturgist
  • SponsaChristi
    Posts: 501
    Why not just let you choir members organize their own music according to what works for them? I hate and struggle singing from binders. They’re difficult to hold when you have small hands and cause tension (which impacts good vocal technique and posture), as well as aggravate existing chronic soft tissue injuries and can create soft tissue injuries.

    When I started in our choir and schola I was told to get a binder and keep everything in a binder in those plastic sheet protectors. Their purpose was so they could be taken out without having to open and close the binder rings during Mass because it’s loud and the sound travels throughout the church. I tried that, but frankly, that was just too much hassle for me, so it just ended being a pile of loose papers thrown in a binder in no particular order, never able to find anything quickly and just caused too much stress. That being said, that method worked for our schola director.

    I kept/keep my 5.5 lbs of sheet music in an accordion folder that’s organized primarily alphabetically by title and composer surname, function (ie: Mass settings, choral Asperges settings, Ave Marias, etc.) I have multiple copies and cross reference them into their appropriate alphabetical listing as well and make a note of the cross reference on each piece. I have a separate section for loose chant music that’s organized according to the liturgical calendar and liturgically during Mass. There are also sections for procession booklets and other things that don’t fit elsewhere.

    It took a lot of self discipline to keep it organized, but it was preferable to the panic of trying to find a piece of music in seconds because something got added last minute during Mass. At the start of each new season, I would go through and check that it was still in order.

    I notice much less awkwardness and confusion with holding sheets and page turns than I did when we used loose sheets.

    Some of us just suck at turning pages. I will never be a page turner. Even those fancy black performance folders cause me issues. My solution is to just memorize my music and turn pages as I remember. I find it also deters people who forget their music from asking to share with me.
    Thanked by 2monasteryliturgist Chant_Supremacist
  • monasteryliturgistmonasteryliturgist
    Posts: 393
    @SponsaChristi no this is for my own organization, not my choir. I let them do what they want. Im like you, I have a hard time keeping things in order and turning pages. I used to be a neat freak but now Im more of the artsy- everywhere kind of Nun.... lack of time definitely contributes... Im just trying to find something that works for me. Im currently in the accordion folder organization style... but I just havent found it as helpful as I wished- mostly because I think I just have too much music! Everythng breaks on me. And I am just not a "gentle woman". Ha.

    Thanks to everyone for your ideas- very helpful insights. Its one of those things that we dont think about so much but really does contribute to stress in practice and in the actual liturgy especially when you are running on just a small space of time- you want to have things ordered and ready.
  • SponsaChristi
    Posts: 501
    I suppose there is the electronic route. I’m not a huge fan of digital sheet music, though.
  • francis
    Posts: 11,052
    OK … I do use an iPad for everything and it is very easy, but yeah, it can be small for us older eyes, and people may not want to invest in the technology. But oh my gosh, I hold the entire worlds repertoire on a quarter inch thick device, including all the organ music in the world, all the chant books, all the polyphony. And by the way, you never need a little light for rorate or dimly lit choir lofts. OK you guys tell me why you don’t like it!

    I still use a binder for jazz piano, if that matters to anyone.
    Thanked by 1tomjaw
  • monasteryliturgistmonasteryliturgist
    Posts: 393
    Yeah, I've had that suggestion before, but I just feel really weird as a Nun to bring a tablet into the choir... doesnt seem the best. I could see that in a choir loft setting, but not a Monastic choir.
    Thanked by 4francis tomjaw Abbysmum canadash
  • TCJ
    Posts: 1,001
    Technology has a tendency of failing. I've never heard of a piece of paper suddenly turning off.
    Thanked by 2monasteryliturgist Abbysmum
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,874
    I've never heard of a piece of paper…

    You haven't been around, maybe.

    I played Mahler's 9th the first time from a 96 page xerox of a bowed part, taped accordion-style. When the opening pages fell into the pit, everybody just stopped and looked on in horror for about two minutes worth of fwwtfwwtfwwt…
    Thanked by 5monasteryliturgist tomjaw Chant_Supremacist francis Abbysmum
  • monasteryliturgistmonasteryliturgist
    Posts: 393
    One time I was playing the Gloria, and the whole last section some how was missing on pages, and you can imagine my distress when I realized I had to now play by ear. It was my fault for sure for not checking the music in advanced but yeah I can definitely relate @RichardMix
    Thanked by 1tomjaw
  • francis
    Posts: 11,052
    My iPad has not failed in all the years… (knock on silicone)

    Yea, I can understand about monastics and tech not being a good mix.
    Thanked by 1monasteryliturgist
  • SponsaChristi
    Posts: 501
    I've never heard of a piece of paper suddenly turning off.

    One Easter vigil in the middle of conducting the Gloria, our director’s music binder fell off the stand into a pile of papers.

    I played Mahler's 9th the first time from a 96 page xerox of a bowed part, taped accordion-style. When the opening pages fell into the pit,


    I sing in a professional level choir and have to hold my music folder over the front of the choir loft. Every time I have to unsecure my music folder strap from my hand to switch arms, I fear clumsy me will drop it and take out the trombone section directly below me.
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen tomjaw
  • Chant_Supremacist
    Posts: 138
    Why not just let you choir members organize their own music according to what works for them? I hate and struggle singing from binders.


    My choir includes volunteers in their twenties and late teens who lack your level of responsibility with this. They lose sheets, forget them at home, organize them badly, damage them, get them out of order, and so on. When we used loose sheets I had to print extras, carry around spares, and even then sometimes people who misplaced theirs would wind up awkwardly sharing music at mass. It's totally untenable for me and my situation, and my system is a vast improvement.

    I'm sure at some point somebody will lose their entire folder (I also have a few secret spares of these), but it hasn't happened yet, whereas with sheets there were almost weekly issues. I think that giving them each ownership over a nice sturdy folder that feels important, unlike loose sheets, they take more care.
    Thanked by 3CHGiffen Roborgelmeister Abbysmum
  • Chaswjd
    Posts: 285
    Numbered Manilla folders in boxes with hanging folders. The Manilla folders stay in the hanging folders outside of rehearsals. The choir members take their Manilla folders out for rehearsal and replace them at the end of the rehearsal. For mass, they take out just the scores they need and place them in their folders. The ones they are done with at the end of mass can be turned in and the rest replaced in the Manilla folder.
    Thanked by 2monasteryliturgist CHGiffen
  • Jeffrey Quick
    Posts: 2,142
    I use binders with numbered selections: 100 Eucharistic, 200 Marian, 300 Ordinaries, 400 everything else. As has been mentioned, this is not optimum, weight-wise. And it does include some things that we only use once a year. Almost all of our repertoire is public domain. People can find their music by number, and it's much harder to lose or misplace. Also, we're a small group, and sometimes have to switch pieces because of lack of a quorum for what was originally programmed. I have removed pieces that we've grown beyond, but we're singing things we sang 10 years ago.
    Thanked by 2monasteryliturgist Abbysmum
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,446
    .

  • Chant_Supremacist
    Posts: 138
    @monasteryliturgist
    Yeah, I've had that suggestion before, but I just feel really weird as a Nun to bring a tablet into the choir... doesnt seem the best. I could see that in a choir loft setting, but not a Monastic choir.

    I wonder if there are cases that could disguise it as a book.
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,798
    I don’t love what I do. But I don’t see another way. I have a bunch of shelves in a cubby plus plastic tubs that mostly fit in the cubby. (I need to clean up a bunch of loose things but it takes hours and I’m exhausted.)

    One box has Vespers and other schola-only things. One box (actually several, it’s a bit outrageous and I need to trim the fat) has accordion folders for congregational Vespers etc. (They use slightly different materials for reasons.)

    We (still) don’t have a hymnal. So everything is copied. I put those in a manila folder basically in the order that we use it from January to December, seasons included. (It doesn’t bother me if there is a Sunday of, say, March, with a different hymn, since we are on a monthly/seasonal rotation, that gets replaced by Lent, or whatever, and that the Lent hymn is before March otherwise in my box.)

    And then I just try to find a home for things like the Veni Creator, Te Deum, etc. that the schola mostly doesn’t need but the people do.

    For funerals though: I’m strongly considering taking the ICRSP sheets and inserting the prayers and readings, since pages from another PDF can be added to existing PDFs and moved around quite easily on a Mac with Preview.

    That way, I can then add the episema to the top note of the podatus climacus groups without it being a mess. And then that will go in binders from Staples which are quite cheap and relatively dignified for binders so long as you take off the sticker on the side.
    Thanked by 1monasteryliturgist
  • monasteryliturgistmonasteryliturgist
    Posts: 393
    @Chant_Supremacist I dont think so in our Choir. We have a L shaped Church. Short end of the L being where the choir is. The organ is in the very back and then the grill meets the left side of the high altar, if that makes sense. so, when we have a schola, the sisters have to sing in the middle of the two choirs middle to front of the grill and choir directress with back towards the grill, thus, the sisters on both sides + priest- if its mass, and laity in the right side pews toward front would definitely see.

    Our choir is very difficult bc of the way it was built we have to adjust ourselves so that the sound reaches where it needs to go. We have a lot of problems with sound bouncing in a bad way....In any case, I think I would still feel weird about it. IDK maybe Im just old fashioned.
  • eduardopinzon00eduardopinzon00
    Posts: 7
    I would like to share how our Gregorian choir is organized. We have a physical folder with plastic sheets that we organize according to the sequence of the mass (entrance, kyrie, glory, etc.) and for the 4 years of our choir, it has been able to handle it, but currently the plastic organizers are no longer able to handle the weight.

    Some time ago, I created an app that also works as a website with the repertoire so we can organize ourselves and rehearse at home, bringing audio, YouTube videos and sheet music in the sequence of the mass as well.

    I have been thinking about migrating to a Tablet with our app or a PDF organizer. We also recently made a booklet for the assembly to follow at least the fixed parts, so we have it for the choir staff to use as well, just as I make small booklets for each mass with the daily instructions.

    It has worked well, but it seems a bit redundant to keep printing them every time. Maybe I will rethink this when we close a cycle of the liturgical year. We also have the liturgical books, the Graduale Romanum, Graduale Simplex and the Liber Usualis for reference during rehearsals and Mass, but since they are not available to all the choir members, and since they are not cheap here in Brazil, it is not feasible for everyone to have one on hand. I believe that since we mainly use the Graduale Simplex and the Romanum, and intend to use only the Romanum repertoire in the future, these materials are easily found on the internet to edit the scores, view them in PDF format and print them.

    I believe that continuing to make pamphlets for each mass in addition to the booklet of fixed songs is the best way forward in the short and medium term. There are not many members in the choir, but people often come and go. The app has been very important for people to rehearse at home without printed scores, but some who are more nostalgic prefer paper.
    Thanked by 1monasteryliturgist
  • eduardopinzon00eduardopinzon00
    Posts: 7
    I forgot to mention that I have a new choir in the parish, focused on liturgical singing in the vernacular. In this choir I intend to create a folder for the choir members.
  • teresa
    Posts: 15
    For my own music, I store it alphabetically in a plastic file box (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PYYL9WS?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1&th=1) with separate sections for motets and Masses.
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