May 2026

Software Allows Organizing, Filing, Editing, and Searching

There are many possibilities for reading music on Android tablets, including:

• basic PDF readers,
• MuseScore,
• MusicReader,
• Orpheus,
• MobileSheets, and others.

I chose MobileSheets software to upload, store, organize, edit, and display my music. It is inexpensive (free trial, and $16 pay once–no subscription), and available on Android, iOS, and Windows. To import sheet music, I need a pdf, jpg, gif, or png file of the music. Most of the time I scan paper copies of music at home with my personal scanner/printer. But if I have several pages to do at once, I visit my public library. There I can scan for free then email the resulting pdf file to myself or copy it to a USB thumb drive; and the large copier/scanners are very fast. Once you have the files, you can import one or more files for each piece of music. You can also import one large pdf that includes music for several pieces. Modifying the files later is also possible.

Add the Metadata! The most time consuming, but extremely useful, aspect of digitizing your music is adding the metadata. Metadata is a fancy word for additional information about a piece of music. At a minimum, you probably want to include the Title and Composer. But you can also add Genre, Year, Artist (you can associate a piece of music with an audio file of the piece), and several other fields, some of which you can customize. You can add as much, or as little, metadata as you'd like. And you don't have to do it all at once. You can always add more later.

Once you have your metadata in place, it will help you to organize your music into multiple different options within your chosen software. Once you add your metadata, you can organize and search by:

• Title,
• Composer,
• Genre,
• Solos,
• Duets,
• Trios,
• Your imagination is the the only limit in categorization!

Metadata is really helpful when searching for a piece of music. By default, I have MobileSheets list all my music alphabetically by Title. But you can also list music by Composer, Years, etc. You can search for music using any or all of the metadata you have provided.

Setlists: In addition, you can create multiple Setlists, placing pieces in the appropriate order for one or more performances or rehearsals. You can also place pieces into one or more Collections. For instance, whenever I download another Play the Recorder Month piece from the ARS website, I add it to my Play the Recorder Month Collection. When looking for one of those pieces, I can then browse that Collection, even if I cannot recall the title or composer. You can create setlists based on:

• workshop classes,
• performances,
• ensembles,
• society meetings,
• again, your imagination is the only limit.



Editing and Note Taking: MobileSheets also allows for music editing. You can easily hand annotate music using either your finger or a stylus. You can write freehand or add one of the many predefined musical notations in your colors of choice. It is also easy to add, delete, or rearrange the pages of a piece. 

MobileSheets can display one-half, one, or two pages at a time while playing. You can set it to scroll automatically, or turn pages using a finger touch, gestures like nodding or turning your head, or with a page turner. I have found the gestures to be both too sensitive and not sensitive enough, so I usually use a finger touch or an inexpensive bluetooth, step-on page turner that allows me to turn forward or backward. However, I am considering an upgrade to a quieter and more sensitive foot turner.

Backup Precautions

I probably have too much faith in my devices. Still, to guard against catastrophic failure, I keep all my original music pdf files saved in the cloud. In addition, MobileSheets reminds me once a month to backup my system. I make sure to save this backup file in the cloud as well. In the event my tablet meets an untimely demise, I can install MobileSheets on a new tablet, and use that backup file to completely restore my entire music environment with just a couple of taps. It doesn't even have to be the same kind of tablet (Windows, Android, or iOS).

How You Might Get Started

I love having my music on a tablet, and will never go back to shuffling papers. However, any time you switch your method of operation, you’ll encounter snags as you learn. And it's going to take time. Take a deep breath and start small. If you can, find someone who already uses the same software who can help you get started. Or start with a friend so the two of you can learn together. Start by scanning and loading a few of the pieces you are currently playing. See how it goes. For at least a little while, take your paper copies of music to rehearsal as a backup. As you get new music, load it onto your device. Your electronic library will grow automatically. Once you become comfortable, you can gradually load other music in your library, and improve the metadata. I think you'll soon wonder how you managed without it.

Todd Ruskell was first introduced to soprano recorder in 5th grade. In middle and high school he played tenor as part of a recorder trio. He taught himself alto while in college, and even played recorder on stage as a Shakespearean musician. After a considerable break, he picked up a bass recorder about 8 years ago, and has been playing continuously since. He now plays with several ensembles at least 3 times a week. He’s a member of the Boulder Colorado Chapter and the Colorado Recorder Orchestra.