Decluttering the piano . . . where do you put everything?

[MomOfOneFunOne]

AMDG

 

The piano . . . sigh . . . It's the flopping place of one to two violins at any given time, sheet music, music books, tuner, metronome, rosin, odds, ends, trophies/ribbons PLUS the piano bench is stuffed to overflowing with more of same and there is a clear storage thing under the piano overflowing with even more of same.

 

For a long time I've wanted the wall peg thingy for the violins and even ordered a couple but they never came in and I forgot about them. So, I'll do that for them.

 

But . . . what do you do with those precious little songs from the early days that you don't want to get rid of but don't want spilling out all over the place?  Old books?  Trophies/ribbons? rosin/tuner/metronome?  And we have a little electronic met, not a lovely analogue one.

 

So, what do you do with it all?

[Chris in VA]

I give away the too-easy, beginner music.

 

I have a cart with drawers dd uses to organize her music and books. (It did not cost that much--only about $30. Here's another that I'd get if I didn't have one already.)

 

The met lives on the piano, as does the current set of books for lessons.

 

She keeps composition/staff paper and writing stuff in the cart, too. 

 

We don't have any trophies or ribbons b/c she doesn't do recitals, but I think I'd prob just put a shelf up over the piano, or display in her room. 

[elfgivas]

we use magazine file holders, like these....

http://www.containerstore.com/shop/?productId=10017275

we have three for current use: a piano one, and two violin ones (for different people).

lesson stuff goes in those.

 

we have two wicker baskets.  orchestra music and competition music go in those.

 

beside the piano are three violins and a viola.  we live in earthquake country, so instruments go into strong cases after every practice.

 

now that is the theory.

 

currently, there is one violin on top of the cat play structure, one on top of the corner chair, two where they belong, orchestra and competition music for one dd left on the music stand, one lesson book on top of the piano and two music lesson bags on the piano bench.  there is also a water bottle (apparently deemed necessary for extreme practice ;), kleenex and a phone. 

 

sigh....

 

but it means they are practicing, a lot, and that's good, right??!!

 

i do think that a tidy music area would be a bad sign, at least in this house.  but keeping it down to a dull roar is worth the effort.

ann

 

 

[elfgivas]

i just noticed you asked about the other stuff, too.

 

one rosin lives in each case.   you rosin your bow standing at your case, and replace rosin.  (we had too many dropped and ground in to flooring, so i became a little insistent ;).

 

everyone has one complete extra set of strings in their cases, and an additional e-string.

 

one electronic tuner/metronome sits on the music stand, except when it leaps off the stand, smashes on the floor, sending batteries everywhere so as to trip up mum as she walks by.  the other sits on the piano and rarely jumps.  the traditional one from my childhood sits on top of the piano because none of us can give ourselves permission to release it.... it has an irregular beat after all these years, so isn't of any use....

 

we have a shelf in the school room for magazine file holders of older music.  i have a shelf in our bedroom for my piano music.  we have a shelf of christmas music.  each child keeps awards in their own rooms.  none of us are big on awards for some reason, so they tend to get lost over time. 

 

again, that is the theory.  mostly, it works, because they like having what they need when they need it.  but about once a month i send some music to the school room, etc.

 

hth,

ann

[Beth S]

Only active piano music goes in the piano bench.

The rest is stored in the coat closet.

We store ribbons & trophies in the child's closet.

Good luck on the de-cluttering.  I cleaned out my Recipe Drawer yesterday & NOW it looks great!

[Ali in OR]

We have my mom's old grand piano, so there's room underneath for nice baskets full of music. We have a small bookcase (~3' high) right by the bench and the top shelf of that gets the metronome and other odds and ends. The lower shelves get hymnals and other books dh might play from. No trophies here, but I wouldn't put them by the piano even if we had someone talented enough to get one! They would go in the child's room.

[magnificent_baby]

I put a small, black, three shelf bookshelf next to the piano. I used upright magazine holders on the bottom shelf to hold each child's old music, they each get their own holder. A few baskets and containers to put odds & ends (metronome, pencils/pens, stickersm dusting cloth) on the other shelves. One of these days I  will try to frame their certificates, but those are also on the bookcase. I just did this and feel so much more organized when I'm sitting next to them during practice time.  

[Ravin]

Our piano growing up had a bench. The seat of the bench opened up for storage inside it, and that's where we kept all the sheet music and music lesson books. Sounds like the violins need their own home.

 

Currently all our music stuff (a flute, a clarinet, music, etc.) takes up a cubby shelf and needs more room, too. Ideally I'd like a corner where DD can keep her music stand assembled and everything organized beside it.

[Kim in Appalachia]

I took all of the piano and violin books and sheet music that I was not using and put them on a bookshelf. Only books being used are in the bench.  I have a basket on the piano for things, such as the metronome.  I try to keep the piano clear.  It sits against the wall in the very front of my house.  It's what you see when you walk in, so I try and keep it clear.

[nrg]

W used the magazine holders on a nearby bookcase as mentioned above.

 

I have found that multiple metronome/tuners attached to stands and/or the piano with velcro really helped keep that impending fuss at bay.

 

Each instrument case had its own home base, too. The cello lived on its stand in the corner with a cloth over it and the case in front as protection.

 

Practice charts, current music, theory books, etc. lived on the bookshelves with easy access. Each child had a shelf.

 

Older music lived in labeled magazine holders.

 

It is quiet in this empty nest now. I do so miss the all-day practice-a-thon!

[LucyStoner]

2 violins, cello and a small family of guitars and guitar like things around the piano here. Rosin and extra strings in cases. Tuner lives on piano behind the sheet music stand. For the music and sheets and book pileup, I have two upright bins from the container store that live on the expedit shelves in the living room so it is easy to take a whole bin out and put a whole bin back.

[MomOfOneFunOne]

AMDG

 

Thanks for the ideas, guys!

 

I don't know if I even want active music on the piano . . . I mean, unless she is actively playing it!  My kiddo has her regular violin lesson music books, orchestra notebook, and her journal (in which she writes music).  She has some odds-and-ends piano music that she likes to keep handy so she can just sit down and play if she wants.  She says that out-of-sight-out-of-mind will defeat her desire to play the piano.

 

Also on the piano we keep a hymnal and another book of tunes . . . it's kind of folk music through time . . . and we love to play and sing from it often.

 

So, hmmmm, I think I could consider the orchestra notebook and lesson books active.  

 

I hate for out of sight out of mind to kill any piano playing, though. ; )

 

One thing that will really help is to put the oldies away.  This hurts me.  Images of my little one, when she was actually little, playing away at some of those songs is a precious memory.  Maybe I can put them in the forever box.  Ribbons/trophies to her room for her to decide.

 

 

[MomOfOneFunOne]

AMDG

 

So just wondering . . . anyone keep the non-piano instruments in a different space than the piano?

 

If I separated the piano and violins, I could leave the hymnal and folk book alive on the piano and put the violin stuff . . . hmmmm . . . in the library? . . . and shelve the books with a basket for rosin, et c.

 

Do they mourn if they're separated like that?

[Starr]

Once upon a time dh and dc each had their own stack of music on the piano. You should see our house now, ha ha ha. In the living room alone the piano is stacked with music, hymnals and a fake book and music ready at the piano, stacks of music and music books for the college group on the fireplace seating ledge, a gig bag and two guitars. This is with the children out of the country!  :svengo: I won't tell you all the rest of the places in the house music and instruments have migrated to.

[gardenmom5]

I have an upright.  I got a 48" wall mounted besta unit from ikea and it is full of sheet music.  It is hung above the piano, so it's very easy to access.  the sheet music is in magazine holders divided by subject/level.  we actually have more magazine holders full of sheet music on the main bookcase.

 

a friend who majored in music has an entire 6x6 expedit full of music. that along with a 6' grand are the only things in his living room.