Nearly all band directors have used PDF music at one time or
another. This article gives insight on a new way to use PDF band music.
PDF (Portable Document Format) documents have become the de facto
standard of sharing documents on the Internet because PDF documents can
be used on most computer platforms. PDF documents are easy to make and
easy to share. That certainly can't be said for a Word document or an
Excel spreadsheet. Have you ever tried to print music directly from a
web page? What a mess that can be.
But how can PDF benefit the music teacher? If you have ever opened a file drawer and pulled out your favorite piece of music for band only to discover that you are missing the 2nd page of the 2nd Clarinet part, you already know why PDF makes great sense. One thumb drive can hold your entire music library and the days of lost parts are vanquished.
Taking PDF one step further: did you know the music you purchase from PDF Band Music can be used on iPad, Galaxy, laptops and other computers? Let's take a look at one way in which you can share a PDF Band Music composition with students.
When you purchase a composition you receive a PDF file which contains a score and parts for all instruments. In order to share individual parts with students you will need to separate (extract) this PDF file into separate files. There are several ways to accomplish this task. If you use the Cute, Foxit, Adobe Acrobat Pro, Preview (on a Mac) or other PDF software, the process of extracting is usually a simple 2 step process. There are also free online services that will extract a PDF into separate parts such as www.splitpdf.com.
Once you have extracted a PDF into separate files use the mail function of Adobe Acrobat Reader to email the parts to students. Or use your email client to attach and email parts to students. Once a student receives that email with the part, the student becomes responsible for the part. The part can be printed or opened on a tablet or other device.
No matter which computer platform you use, PDF documents make your life much more simple – and you save tight budget dollars.
But how can PDF benefit the music teacher? If you have ever opened a file drawer and pulled out your favorite piece of music for band only to discover that you are missing the 2nd page of the 2nd Clarinet part, you already know why PDF makes great sense. One thumb drive can hold your entire music library and the days of lost parts are vanquished.
Taking PDF one step further: did you know the music you purchase from PDF Band Music can be used on iPad, Galaxy, laptops and other computers? Let's take a look at one way in which you can share a PDF Band Music composition with students.
When you purchase a composition you receive a PDF file which contains a score and parts for all instruments. In order to share individual parts with students you will need to separate (extract) this PDF file into separate files. There are several ways to accomplish this task. If you use the Cute, Foxit, Adobe Acrobat Pro, Preview (on a Mac) or other PDF software, the process of extracting is usually a simple 2 step process. There are also free online services that will extract a PDF into separate parts such as www.splitpdf.com.
Once you have extracted a PDF into separate files use the mail function of Adobe Acrobat Reader to email the parts to students. Or use your email client to attach and email parts to students. Once a student receives that email with the part, the student becomes responsible for the part. The part can be printed or opened on a tablet or other device.
No matter which computer platform you use, PDF documents make your life much more simple – and you save tight budget dollars.
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