Being a full-time choral music student can be very time-consuming. It takes more stamina than I expected to run to and fro in the big city attending lengthy rehearsals and preparing for big concerts. But when you close your folder at the end of a long rehearsal, the music doesn’t stop. If you’re like me and have ever sung in a choir for very long, you know that the music goes through your head at all hours of the day. And usually, it tends to sneak into your brain when you finally settle in to relax.
I’ve learned that there’s no real way to fight this. If you are a choir director or performer, you know that the music always wins. So, instead of resisting, I recently decided to spend a bit of my free time looking for ways to make the music better – and make my life a little easier. I have been on the hunt to find the best choral music folder on the market. In my search, I came up with a list of requirements that I believe should be considered when shopping for the best choir music folder:
- The folder needs to be sturdy
- The folder needs to hold the music in securely
- It should be able to hold multiple sizes of music
- Bonus! There should be a spot to keep a pencil
I reached out to several different folder distributors in hopes to test out their products and come a little bit closer to finding the best folder on the market. Of the few companies that got back to me, My Music Folders were some of the friendliest people that I spoke with. I spoke with Jon Rose over the phone – the owner and founder of My Music Folders along with his wife, Robbin. Here’s a little bit of background on the company that Jon wrote for our article:
A Word From My Music Folders:
“Robbin and I founded the Missoula Community Chorus (missoulachorus.org) in 2001 and needed quality music folders for our new choir. I had worked in the manufacturing industry for a long time and knew I could get them made just the way we wanted them. We produced 1000 of our Deluxe choral folders (the minimum to use up the raw materials) of which we took 125 for the choir, and sold the rest as a fundraiser to help get the choir off the ground. They sold like hotcakes, and we re-ordered 1000 more, then 2000. People asked if we could make a band folder, an orchestra folder, a lighter folder, a smaller folder, etc. and we’ve since expanded to almost 20 styles.
In 2002 a good friend helped set up a website, and we became one of the first exclusively online suppliers in this market, bypassing the distributors and therefore the added markup. We were able to put money into making our products from the best materials, with every feature we personally knew to be important, all at reasonable prices to our customers.
With my background and experience in manufacturing, we have solved challenges facing musicians by designing innovative products with new features, while keeping the best possible craftsmanship foremost in mind. The latest example of this is the adjustable hand strap that allows a singer to tighten or loosen the hand strap to fit their hand and preference. This feature is unique in the industry, although it’s so great it won’t be long until it is standard on all choral folders.
Robbin and I are both life-long musicians, both vocal and instrumental, and use our products constantly. We listen very closely to our customer’s reviews and feedback on TrustPilot.com where we enjoy a 9.3 out of 10-star rating. We are very interested in the constant improvement of our products and services, and in partnering with the musical community.”
In the package that My Music Folders sent to me, I received several different kinds of folders – all of which were of the highest quality I have ever seen in a music folder. They sent me five products to review, and I loved all of them! Here’s a list of the products they sent me:
You can find a detailed review of all of these products in the video below.
Thank you so much to My Music Folders for providing me with these wonderful products to review! Every single folder met the requirements that I came up with. They were all incredibly well-made, and I greatly enjoyed the experience.
Leave a comment below telling us what you thought of our second choir folder review! What kinds of folders do you use in your concerts? Stay tuned for more folder reviews and blogs on our website and YouTube channel!