Old sheet music, what do to?

[kvk]

This isn't really mando-related but since this is the only musicians board I use, I'd thought I ask here.

I'm visiting my Dad in NJ. He played piano from back in the 30 and 40s, classical and pop of the day, lots of Boogie Woogie. So he has this huge box of sheet music he wants me to take to the curb in the ran. I flip through it and I can't see that I can throw it out.

A log of it is Schrimmer library classical stuff. Big books from Brahams, Mozart, methods like Czerny and Hanon. Then there's cheesy song books like Disney and Oliver and stuff.

There there's the individual sheets form the 30s, 40s, and 50s. I just have this feeling that I should not throw away something titled Count Basie's Boogie Woogie Styles, A folio of Original Composions that's dated from freakin' 1938. There's a stack of this stuff almost a foot high. Pine Top Smith's Boogie Woogie, Gershwins Rapsody in Blue, Benny Goodman, Duke Elligton, boogie, jazz, blues, and pop songs from the 30s and 40s.

So, I don't know what I'll do with the stuff, I don't have time to Ebay it all out. Something tells me putting it at the curb in the rain is a bad thing. Just for posterity, I'm better off throwing it in my trunk and hauling it back to MA and putting it on craigslist just so someone else gets to enjoy it.

[Fred Keller]

You might consider approaching a university music department to see if they find it valuable. If you need to sell, they're probably not a great choice; but if you're looking to find it a good home you could do worse.

[Jim Garber]

I agree... donate it to a library or archive. There are a few University sites that have a large collection of old sheet music. Duke University is one and I think Brown. Jazz stuff might be of interest to somewhere like Berklee, possibly or to a local music school that teaches jazz piano.

Barring that, sell as one big stack on craigslist or donate to Goodwill.

[TomTyrrell]

The odds are that there isn't one single rare or valuable piece of music in the whole bunch. That has never stopped me from spending hours going through every piece of a big stack.

I usually pay about $10 for a big box full of sheet music. Less if the box is full of music books. If it has already been picked through I pass it up.

[kvk]

The odds are that there isn't one single rare or valuable piece of music in the whole bunch. That has never stopped me from spending hours going through every piece of a big stack.

I usually pay about $10 for a big box full of sheet music. Less if the box is full of music books. If it has already been picked through I pass it up.
yeah, i figure most big boxes of old music books are a dime a dozen. Some of this stuff is cool though so I'll keep it for a while. Some of the old sheet music covers are nice framed if they are in decent shape. There are some easy methods books I might actually use some time too. It's fun and again I couldn't just throw it out.

When I was a five-year-old kid, I'd sit on the piano school with my dad and he'd play this old boogie woogie stuff he play in bars during the war when he was in the air force. I just can't see throwing that stuff away.

[violmando]

Bowling Green State U also used to take it...most sheet music isn't worth much. I'd keep any that have pretty covers that you might want to frame and donate the rest. In the Dayton area, Planned Parenthood does a yearly Book Fair that will also take it. I did through it for method books for my students or ones with pics that I can hang in my classroom.