After three semesters of continuous use at performances and rehearsals, the large print music binder that I used for college pep band started to fall apart. This binder had previously been provided to me by the pep band staff who did their best to create an accessible music solution, and I was excited to take on a more active role in creating and organizing my new large print music binder that would hold accessible sheet music for practice and performances. Here is how I created my own large print music binder that holds 80+ songs and the design considerations that went into creating it.
My previous large print music binder
Every great transformation starts with a “before” picture that looks like trash. While my music itself didn’t look like trash, I did have to rely on a trash can for sectionals.
My previous music binder measured 11 inches by 17 inches and was easily over 100 pages. The music dangled from the top of the stand, with the front cover flipped over the front of the stand, and sometimes multiple stands were required to balance the book and keep it from sinking. This was because the book weighed over ten pounds, and kept growing over the course of the semester, to the point where it would take three people to help flip the book to the other side of the page. While I was able to read the music on the page, I wasn’t able to use this book independently and had to rely on my wonderful section members to help.
I am not sure who created my original large print music binder, but I am very grateful that they took the time to put it together so I could play at so many events. However, the larger binder size was challenging to balance on a stand and did not fit into my visual field.
My friends and I discovered we could support the top of my music stand and keep it from falling down by placing a trash can underneath— helpful for sectionals, not ideal for game day!
ID: An 11-inch by 17-inch binder in portrait (vertical) orientation placed over a green music stand. One page of music is visible and dangles below the stand rest. The top of the stand is resting on top of a trash can on the right side to support the weight of the binder. Photo taken during band practice in Eagle Bank Arena.
ID: 11-inch by 17-inch vertical large print music binder resting on a stand during a pep band event. The stand is tipped backwards and holds the music at an angle. This binder only has about 1/3 to 1/2 of the music required for pep band.
Related links
- Upcycling Music Stands into Assistive Technology
- Considerations For Writing Marching Band Drill For Low Vision Students
- Learning Clarinet With Low Vision
Why not use digital music?
While I have used my iPad to read music for concert band, this was not a viable option for pep band for several reasons:
- I wear sunglasses as part of my pep band uniform, which makes it difficult to read backlit displays. These are different than the tinted glasses that I wear every day, which have no impact on my ability to read digital screens.
- It would be difficult for me to quickly navigate to different areas of the book. If my director called for us to jump from song 3 to song 35, it would take me longer to flip across the screen with only the use of one hand.
- Our college pep band is extremely active! There’s lots of dancing, jumping, singing, arm waving, and other traditions. There would be a high risk of my iPad falling off the stand and breaking, or somehow getting stolen or misplaced
- I would have to hunch my back more to read the music on the smaller iPad screen, which is not a great option for someone who already plays a larger instrument.
- Everyone plays standing up, and I would not be able to position my iPad close enough to my face while playing in pep band, or adjust the stand high enough to read with lined bifocal glasses.
When practicing outside of rehearsal, I would often read music from my iPad or desktop computer since I was often by myself or with one other person. In these settings, I could use pinch-to-zoom or magnification to examine character-level details or examine notes more closely.
Related links
- Tips For Reading Music On An iPad With Low Vision
- Concert Band and Low Vision
- Marching Band and Low Vision
- Adapting Band Uniforms For Sensory Processing Issues
- Upcycling Music Stands into Assistive Technology
- Veronica’s Four Eyes: All About My Glasses For Low Vision
Requirements for a new binder
So I knew that I wanted a new and improved large print music binder, but what would that even look like? I talked to one of my favorite professors who works for AIM-VA, an organization that provides accessible educational materials for Virginia students that is located on my college campus. While AIM-VA wouldn’t be able to produce my large print music binder (they only provide services for K-12 students), my professor could certainly give me ideas on how to create one. After looking at several examples of how they have created large print music and accessible music books for low vision (one of which is pictured below), I decided on the following requirements for my new binder:
- 11 x 14 page size, which could fit on any stand
- Enlarging music to 250%, or the equivalent of size 24 font
- A weight of less than eight pounds so that it would be easier to carry
- The ability to turn pages independently
- Using a consistent font for song titles and lyrics/chants
I started with AIM-VA because I already knew the people there and had collaborated with them on other projects. If this option wasn’t available, I would have gone to visit my college’s assistive technology specialists who remediate accessible materials to view examples of large print music.
ID: Piano music enlarged on 11-inch by 14-inch pages in a spiral-bound book.
Related links
- Receiving Accessible Educational Materials With NIMAC and AIM-VA
- What To Know About College Assistive Technology Specialists
- Low Vision Accommodations For Print Materials From My Low Vision IEP
Choosing my new binder
After searching all over the DC Metro area, I found the perfect large print music binder on a website called Keep Filing. While the binder by itself costs about $18, I purchased the combination set that comes with 75 clear sheet protectors and colored tabs for about $70. Due to an issue with shipping, Keep Filing generously sent me a second combination set for free, which I was incredibly grateful for when my original binder was stolen about a year later (and taught me an important lesson in securing my items).
Related links
- 11×14 Art Portfolio Binder Set – 11×14 Photo Album (keepfiling.com)
- 11×14 Binder with label holder – Poster Size (keepfiling.com)
- College Mailrooms and Low Vision
Digitally enlarging music and creating large print sheet music
All of the pep band music is stored in a Google Drive folder that is accessible for all students, so it was easy for me to get access to all of the music as digital files— the pages are optimized for 8.5-inch by 11-inch pages, and I created a custom PowerPoint template that measured 11-inches by 14-inches. I then used a mix of the snipping tool and Microsoft PowerPoint to enlarge the music to fit the 11 x 14 page, a process that took around three hours. I go more into detail about how I did this in the post linked below.
I decided to enlarge my own music instead of using the existing sheet music from my previous binder because some of the pages had notes or other dynamics cut off, or there were missing pages/songs. This happens frequently when others enlarge sheet music on my behalf, so I preferred to take control of the process and do it myself.
ID: A page of enlarged sheet music in Microsoft PowerPoint. The page size is equivalent to 11-inch by 14-inch paper, and the music is enlarged at least 225% of its original size. Each sheet music page is its own slide.
Related links
- How To Make Music Accessible With Microsoft PowerPoint
- How I Document Accessibility Preferences With Low Vision
Printing music
While it’s difficult to find an 11 x 14 binder, I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to find 11 x 14 paper as well— and my printer couldn’t accommodate that size. After consulting with my university’s assistive technology specialists, we decided to have all of the music printed on 11 x 17 paper, and then trim off the three inches of blank space at the bottom of the page. This also helped to ensure that none of the notes or dynamic measures were cut off.
I printed music on single-sided paper because the song order would frequently change throughout the performance season. Most pages were printed by submitting a request to the assistive technology specialists for remediating accessible materials— I just sent them the digital file for printing. If I needed something on the same day, I would go to the UPS store on-campus and have the music printed there, as they were open in the evening before band practice.
Related links
- What To Know About College Assistive Technology Specialists
- Mainstream Technology and Low Vision: Printers
- How To Request Accessible Textbooks In College
Assembling the binder
I enlisted the help of a friend to help me confirm the page numbers for songs and slid all of the pages into the sheet protectors— a task that was incredibly easy because the paper had been trimmed down to size, and more fun when talking to a friend. This took about 45 minutes to do since there were over 80 songs, many with multiple pages. The binder ended up weighing about five pounds.
Debuting the new binder
Bringing the new binder to the performance that night felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders, or rather my music stand. I was able to balance my book on only one stand and could easily turn pages with one hand, even when playing. I believe everyone standing within a five foot radius could tell how excited I was!
Even though I could carry the binder on my own, I could not balance carrying my instrument, my blindness cane, and the binder up a flight of stairs to my seat, so I still needed some assistance in that regard. Eventually, when my neurological condition made it too difficult for me to climb the stairs with everything, I asked to be moved to a lower seating section that didn’t require stairs, and had the additional bonus of having me stand behind another band member with low vision— one of my best friends!
ID:An 11-inch by 14-inch binder with sheet music resting on a bright green music stand. Photo taken while standing on a chair to show accurate size of binder. In the bottom left corner, the previous music binder is sticking out from a chair
Related links
- How I Play In GMU Green Machine/Pep Band With Low Vision
- College Game Day and Sporting Events: College O&M
Summary of considerations for creating a large print music binder
While this binder system works for me, low vision is a very broad term. No two people have the exact same preferences for print materials or assistive technology. Considerations for creating a large print music binder should include:
- How many pages will be needed. Make sure to leave space to add more songs!
- Whether the binder can be used independently. Ensure that the musician can turn pages, transport the binder, move it on/off stand, locate music of interest.
- Considerations for font size and scaling.
- Availability of digital files for enlarging music— this process was much easier because my band directors had already scanned in music as high resolution PDFs, so I didn’t have to scan any pages manually. File names also included instrument names/parts (e.g. bass clarinet, tenor sax)
- Type of instrument— a bass clarinetist will have different music than a piccolo player, in terms of how many notes go above or below the staff.
- How the binder will be carried/transported— it helps to have a hands-free option
- Positioning of binder on the music stand, which can include adjusting positioning for visual field.
Want more posts on accessible music/large print music? Check out Arts and Music Category | Veroniiiica!
Published April 5, 2018. Updated August 2025