Maybe you’ve been there, or maybe you’re there now - the choir director who’s trying to piece together a music library on a shoestring budget with anthems that are interesting and relevant to your choir and congregation.

As we all know, music is expensive ($2-4 per octavo for most choral pieces) and there isn’t always room in the budget for those kind of expenditures throughout the year, especially if you’re looking to build a music library and purchase more than 1-2 new anthems per year.

The struggle is real.

But, there’s good news. Some music is free! That’s right. Music published before 1923 is in the public domain (in the USA), which means it is free to obtain and use. 

It can be a bit overwhelming to sift through all the music that’s out there, so today, I’m sharing a few of my favorite go-to resources for music in the public domain along with some anthem suggestions that might work for your choir.

Looking to dust off those handbells in the music closet and start a handbell choir this year? Great! First of all, check out this helpful resource from Reformed Worship - lots of practical information for getting started, recruiting, and choosing repertoire.

In today's post, I thought it might be helpful to share a round-up of free music resources. Yes, free!

These sites offer a variety of arrangements for bell choirs - some for a small number of bells, others for as many as 5 octaves, some with piano/organ accompaniment, others with instrumental parts. Whether you play them in worship or use them for extra reading practice in rehearsals, you can't beat free!