As I’ve given workshops for our local associations on how to use the computer to develop customized materials for the studio, one common desire many teachers have is to be able to make their own well-designed recital programs. In light of this, I am making available the following cover design, and corresponding files, for purchase and use in your studio:

If you have the Print Shop software (either the Deluxe or the Pro Publisher Version), you will be able to open and edit the cover file yourself. I highly recommend this software! It is user-friendly and can be used for designing any kind of material you can imagine! However, for those who do not have the Print Shop software, I am offering the option for you to purchase the same files, but I will customize the cover file with information specific to your studio: your name, recital date and a personal note on the back.

The download includes the following files (and includes the right to print, or have printed by a commercial printer, as many copies of the program as you need at no additional cost):

1. Recital Program Sample (pdf) - the inside of the program so that you can see how the layout is designed
2. Recital Program Cover 1 (pdf) - the full cover (front and back)
3. Recital Program Sample (doc) - the inside of the program in Microsoft Word format so that you can edit it and add all your own program information
4-6. Fonts (in case you don’t have them on your computer and want to use the same ones I used for the cover design. For instructions on how to install new fonts on your computer, read this post.)
7. Cover (Print Shop file) - for those who have the Print Shop software and can open and edit the cover design themselves.
Please note: the files come in a zip format. If you don’t have an unzip program, download a free trial version of WinZip here.

Christmas Recital Program Files | $10

Custom Design for Recital Program Cover and Back | $10

Once you complete your order, if you are ordering custom design services, please click here to send me an e-mail with the following information:

1. Your full name (to be listed as “students of…” on the cover)
2. Your recital date
3. A personal note for the back (100-150 words is best)
4. Verse or quote for the bottom of the back cover (optional)

Once I receive the above information, I will e-mail you a customized PDF file and you will be able to print, or have printed by a commercial printer, as many copies as you need at no additional charge. Please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions!

Now that you’ve learned how to do audio recording right in your studio and present your students with their own CDs, you probably want to be able to create attractive custom CD jackets to insert into the case. Look no further! I’ve created a template that can be used in MS Word to do this very thing.

Click here to download the template and instructions and then have fun designing it! Make sure your page margins are set to .25″ for top, bottom, left and right.

If you have a Yamaha Clavinova in your studio, you can practically set up your own recording studio! (If you don’t have a Clavinova, check out this post for instructions on how to set up recording with your acoustic instrument.) I just recently found out how to connect the Clavinova into my computer so that I can record directly from the Clavinova into my computer as an audio file - not just a midi file! I’ve been recording in my studio for the past couple of weeks this way and it works incredibly well! The sound quality is wonderful, since it’s recording directly through a cable and there is no interference. And it’s so much easier than recording a midi file and then converting it to a wav file.

Here’s what you need:
1. Clavinova (I’m sure this would work with other brands as well, but the only one I currently have in my studio is a Clavinova - a CVP-301 - thanks to our wonderful music store, who is loaning me one so that my students can prepare for the upcoming Clavinova Festival!)

2. Audio Cables (this is the one I purchased from Radio Shack and it works great!)

3. Computer (within 6 feet of the Clavinova because of the cable length…a laptop is ideal, because it can be placed right on the Clavinova.)

4. Free Audacity Recording Software

That’s it! It may seem like a lot, but don’t be overwhelmed, because it’s incredibly easy to use once you get everything set up. And it is well worth it!

Follow these easy steps:
1. Plug the phono end of the cable (one white, one red plug) into the corresponding color input jacks on the underside of the Clavinova.
2. Plug the 1/8″ stereo plug into the mic input jack on your computer.
3. Open the Audacity recording software.
4. Click the record button and begin playing. (You can also pre-record onto the Clavinova, especially if you want to do some sequencing first, and then start the recording in Audacity and hit the playback button on the Clavinova.)

It will record directly through the cable (no feedback!) as an audio file. Once it’s in Audacity, you can export it as either a wav file or an mp3. The files can then either be burned to a CD or downloaded to an mp3 player - or shared on-line for that matter! In fact, if you want to hear a sample of a recording, click here to hear an mp3 of a piano accompaniment part I just recorded a couple days ago. It will give you a pretty good idea of the sound quality you can get when recording this way.

Have fun recording professional-sounding CDs right in your own studio!

Check out theBach Musicological Font that I found thanks to the links page of the Music Teacher’s Resource Site.

The great thing about the Bach Musicological Font is that it is inserted right in line with the other text fonts you are using. Some of the other musical fonts I use, like Notes or Maestro, take up a lot of additional space and mess up the formatting of the document.

I highly recommend this helpful tool! I already tried it out and it works great! Just download and install it by following the detailed instructions from this previous post.

This is a fun principle! Contrast. Contrast will add interest to your design and will grab the attention of the reader. This can be achieved through the use of contrasting fonts, colors, sizes, and more. Keep in mind that items on a page should either be the same or contrasting. They should not be similar. For example, if you’re using two different font styles, choose two that are completely contrasting, not two that look similar to each other.
Here’s a quick overview of different font styles:

serif – with “feet” – best for large bodies of text

sans serif – without “feet” – good for headlines or small bodies of text

script – should not be used for all caps

decorative – very fun and attention getting! Be sure that if you use a decorative font it supports the text and doesn’t distract from it.

As an aside, one of the best sites I’ve found for downloading fonts is Abstract Fonts.

Here are some quick step-by-step instructions for downloading and installing new fonts onto your computer:
I created a folder in My Documents called “Downloads.” Within this folder, I have separate folders for “Graphics” and “Fonts.” Any fonts I download from the Internet go into the “Fonts” folder.
1. Once you have located a font that you would like to download, click on the appropriate download button.
2. When given the option, navigate to and save the file in your ”Fonts” folder.
3. Once you have finished the download, open the folder to ensure that the font has downloaded properly.
4. Close the folder.
5. Go to your start menu and select CONTROL PANEL.
6. Double-click on the icon labeled FONTS.
7. Go to File and select INSTALL NEW FONTS.
8. In the folders window, select the folder to which you have downloaded your new fonts. All the downloaded fonts should appear in the list in the above window.
9. Select the fonts you want to install, or click “Select All” and click OK.

The new fonts will be installed and ready to use in all of your programs!

This is a very key principle in creating a cohesive design! Using repetition will create unity throughout your project. For example, notice on front page of the newsletter below how the same fonts are repeated for similar purposes. The font for each article title is the same as the font for the newsletter title. The text font is all the same. The layout utilizes the same look for each article heading - title, author, the line below.

Click here to view a sample of the assignment pages I made my students this year. I kept this principle in mind when designing these as well.

Design Principle #2 is Alignment. Basically, what I remember most about this is the necessity of thinking “outside the box.” Don’t just center-align something on the page because it’s easy. Experiment with a variety of text alignments. Don’t just randomly place text on a page. Be purposeful. Think through what should go where to achieve the best effect.
Check out the alignment on this Assignment Book cover:

The main text is centered to draw attention, but the text below is right-aligned to give a sense of movement, and to draw the reader to turn the page. Keep in mind that you need to be careful when using multiple alignments on a page. If it assists the reader in following the flow of the text, then go for it, but if it is distracting, then opt for the same alignment.
For example, if the lower text area was left aligned like this the flow/movement of the text would be unnatural:

Start looking at the alignment on other design products. I notice things from food boxes, to concert programs, to book jackets, etc. Find ones that you really like and then experiment with similar styles in your own designs. Stay tuned for Part 3 of Design Principles!

Years ago, I attended a workshop on Design and learned some principles that have stuck with me through the years and been invaluable to me in determining how to design professional-looking materials for my studio. There are four basic design principles that I learned. I’ll devote a post to each one.

1. Proximity
Group related items together. As you look over a design, ask yourself how many times your eyes have to stop to absorb all the information. You should be able to quickly scan the information and have a clear idea of what is being presented. Keep in mind that your eyes tend to naturally follow a certain course as you look at a piece of paper. On a single page, your eye follows a “Z” pattern. On a double page, your eye follows a “V” pattern. These are illustrated in the following image:

I took this principle into consideration in the design of this brochure for one of our local associations. (Notice the placement of the photographs on the inside of the brochure.)

Sometimes it’s helpful to see a bad design so that the good design principle makes more sense. So, I decided to show you this flyer that I found that caught my eye because of how poorly it was designed. (I took out the business name.) You can see that the information does not flow clearly at all. It completely violates the principle of proximity (not to mention many others!). This is the type of flyer you could look at numerous times and still miss some of the information because it is so randomly placed on the page!

Avoid cluttering the space with too many different text areas or graphics. White space is a good thing and aids in a clear presentation. This can be applied to studio policy brochures, recital programs, business cards, etc. So, above all, remember that the information must flowly clearly to the reader.

If you are interested in creating professional-looking materials for your studio, I highly recommend the Print Shop software. Using Print Shop, I’ve been able to create everything from business cards to brochures to assignment book covers to newsletters to recital program covers and more! The possibilities are endless! There are higher end programs available, but Print Shop is much more affordable and easier to learn.

Here are a couple samples from my own collection:

Business Card

Assignment Book Cover

Recital Program Cover

In upcoming posts, I plan to share some specific design tips that I have learned from other desktop designers that have helped me immensely in developing an ability to design materials that look attractive and adhere to good design principles. One tip I’ll give you to start off with - start picking up brochures, pamphlets, flyers, etc. and notice what you like and don’t like about the design. What catches your eye? What looks confusing? Does the information flow clearly?

The most attractive design can be rendered useless if it takes away from the message. Remember, good design must always be subservient to the message that is being communicated.

For years, I tried to figure out how I could make my own CDs. I wanted to be able to record myself or students playing the piano and burn the audio file onto a CD. I looked up information on-line, went to workshops, talked with other teachers, but still felt like I lacked the information to get started. If this describes your situation at all, take heart! It is so much easier and so much less expensive than I thought it would be.

Here’s the equipment you’ll need to get started (most of which you probably have right there next to you!)
1. a computer - desktop or laptop, PC or Mac
2. a CD burner - your computer probably came with this already included
3. CD burning software - this is probably already installed on your computer, if it came with a CD burner
4. a microphone - for starters, just use a simple computer voice mic; if you don’t have one, you can pick one up at a computer store. (Here’s a great deal on a Computer Microphone. I just paid $20 at Best Buy for this exact same mic.) Once you get more experienced and get the hang of how to do this, you can upgrade to a better quality mic. But this will allow you to get started less expensively.
5. Audacity software (free! look below for step-by-step instructions to install the software)

Step-by-Step Instructions to download and install the free Audacity software:

1. Go to the site: audacity.sourceforge.net
2. Click on the link: Download Audacity 1.2.4b
3. Click on the recommended download: Audacity 1.2.4 installer (.exe file, 2.4 MB) - The latest version of the free Audacity audio editor.
4. Find the mirror site location that is closest to your present location. Click on the icon in the download column of that row.
5. When given the option, choose to save the file. Select the appropriate location from your files (I have created a folder under “My Documents” that is called “Downloads” where I save everything I download off the Internet.)
6. Once you’ve finished downloading, open the file. Complete the setup wizard to install the software onto your computer.
7. Once you’ve finished, open the Audacity software. You should see a screen that looks like this: (except without the sound waves on the screen)

8. Plug your microphone into the microphone jack on the side or back of your computer. (This may also be called the input jack.)
9. Click on the red record button on your screen and begin talking or playing into the microphone.
10. Once you have finished recording, select File>Export as WAV.
11. Name your file and save it to a specified file location. (I have created a folder in My Documents called CD Burning where I save all the files that I want to burn onto a CD. You can add more specific folders as you increase the number of projects you’re recording.)
12. Open your CD burning software. (I use Easy CD Creator since that’s what came with my computer.)
13. Navigate to the file you just exported and select it as your source file. If given the option, select Music CD as the type of CD you want to burn. Add the selected file to the list of tracks to be burned to the CD.
14. Place a blank CD-R into your burn drive.
15. Click the record or burn button in your software to burn the CD.
16. Take out your CD, label it and enjoy listening to your very own recording!

Explore the Audacity website for additional downloads or instructions. I’ll post more about these in a future post as well. Remember, have fun experimenting with the different capabilities in your software! Feel free to post questions you may have in the comments section. I will help as much as I can so that you can begin recording in your studio - it’s so much fun!