Uses for Old Sheet Music

Creative uses for old sheet music from the ThriftyFun community. Post your own ideas here.

Cover A Lampshade or Book

Lampshade - attach sheet music to an old lampshade, then brush with linseed oil and let dry thoroughly before turning on the light. (Be sure to use a low wattage bulb.)

Wrapping paper - wrap up a music lover's birthday gift with sheet music.

Book cover - if you've lost the jacket to a book, cover it with some sheet music.

By joesgirl

Make Cards Or Frame Them

Use them when making your own cards. Use them in your scrapbooking. Just be sure not to put them next to your pictures, I don't think that the old sheet music would be acid free.

Make a collage and frame it for someone special. I am specifically thinking of the 91 year old that I visit who has all those tattered old sheet music papers in his piano bench. Framing them might be a great gift for him someday.

By brenda newton

Decoupage

On a decorating show I recently saw on TV, the decorators took old sheet music and decoupaged it on an old steamer trunk. They tea stained the sheet music before decoupaging, and it really gave it an aged, vintage look, and the final result looked really good!

By Tori

Christmas Ornaments

I used some for Christmas ornaments. I use a cookie cutter in the shape of a bell. Cut out a piece of poster board in the shape of the bell along with 2 bells from sheet music. I stacked them with the poster board in the middle and glued them together. Used watered down brown paint on the sheet music for an aged look. Used black paint on the edges where the three sheets were glued together. Glued a small 'jingle bell' to the bottom of the ornament. Cute ornamant.

Dye It

I've seen the lampshade idea. I thought instead of making it vintage, I would dip it into dye to make it colorful. As a trumpeteer, I love music and making things so i thought this would fit.

By Trumpet girl

Donate It To Someone Who Would Love It

What is old to you maybe wanted by somebody else. Donate the sheet music to nursing homes and senior citizen's centers. Maybe buy some old metal file box paint it up and put your own designs on it. Get some file folders to fit it. Catalog all the sheet music in some kind of order, and maybe give it as a gift to your grand parents.

By Michael Ruger

I gotta go with Mr. Thrifty on this one. I'm an old musician and even though I don't sight-read, I love music any way I can get it. I play by ear on guitar, Dobro, etc. but many years ago (I was in high school at the time) I got a copy of one of my favorite songs ever written, on sheet. I didn't play keyboard, but I muddled through "Moonlight Sonata" and once I got it in my head, I could play it on piano.

Music in any form is a treasure. I would try to make sure it got to somebody who will treasure it for what it is because it is a balm for a hurting soul.

Please understand: music cannot raise the dead, but it can help cure the sick, or at least make their last days easier to bear. Please don't be frivolously throwing it away. If you are really in need of wrapping paper, use the Sunday funnies.

Written with love and best wishes, Warren

Photocopy It First

Being a musician myself, I can understand your concern for damaging the sheet music but I am also a craftsperson so can understand that it is something that can make nice crafts. Might I can suggest a compromise. For those wanting to use old sheet music for crafts, photocopy the music and use the photocopies for your crafts. That way you can pass on the sheet music to those that might use it.

By Susan Sanders-Kinzel

Check If It Has Value First

Old sheet music may be valuable - check out eBay first before you start cutting it up!

Regards

By Jo Bodey

I agree that music in good shape should be passed on to someone who can use it. However, many of us have music that is disintegrating, books of music that have pages lost or torn. These are especially fine for re-use in decorating and craft projects. I happen to have a lot of sample music I've received from publishers over the years which is mostly out-of-print and no use to anyone. This is also fair game for crafts.

By rabbit10mom