The Toolkit Series is a printed compilation of most of the content of the three toolkits offered by Organists Online. Namely:

• The Organists' Toolkit;
• The Singers' Toolkit;
• The Choir Trainers' Toolkit;

Together, these three Toolkits cover the most essential information which would help a non-music specialist run the music in a church with limited resources and a limited budget. This printed book provides a handy source of reference in situations where the online versions are not accessible (such as in a church during a practice session).

This is, principally, intended for pianists who find themselves having to accompany services. It's a survival guide, not a comprehensive discussion about all aspects of organ playing. It includes these sections:

• Keyboards (manuals), stops, couplers, choosing stops, changing stops, swell pedals, rare but ...;
• Hymn playing, simplified hymns, the play over;
• Voluntaries. filling in, repertoire, further study.

Find this information online at The Organists' Toolkit

Originally, this was a guide for adults who came to choral singing later in life who found themselves having to cope with printed music for the first time. It still fulfils this prime purpose but it's also the bedrock of knowledge which a non-choral expert will need if he or she ends up having to run a choir. It's a lot of information in a little space, so it cannot easily be speed read. The sections are:

• Introduction; can't sing - tone deaf?, hitting the right notes, breathing well, singing in tune, useful practical tips;
• Staves, lines or systems, voices on a stave, bars, barlines, repeats;
• Letter names and intervals, clefs, sharps and flats, keysignatures;
• Time values, triplets and duplets, ties, dots, staccato, pauses, rests;
• Beats, simple time signatures, compound time signatures, up beats and anacruses;
• Tempo, volumes, consonants and diphthongs, more on breathing, scooping, rogue consonants, semi sight-reading.

Find this information online at The Singers' Toolkit

The Choir Trainers' Toolkit is aimed at those reluctant choir trainers who know that, without their leadership, a choir would wither and die. Or, perhaps, are in an environment that wishes to start a choir but there is no one to take on the role. It builds upon the content of The Singers' Toolkit but goes far deeper into various topics and explores new areas of knowledge. Its sections are:

• Basics (introduction, courage, competency, rehearsals, budget, profile, repertoire);
• Conducting (beating time, up beats, pauses, eye contact, the other hand);
• Key signatures (major keys, minor keys, major or minor?);
• Warm ups;
• More on keys and modes (modes, more on minor keys, confusions);
• More on intervals (augments, perfect, major, minor, diminished);
• Transposition;
• Basics (introduction, courage, competency, rehearsals, budget, profile, repertoire);
• Simple arranging (why arrange, copyright, background, vocal ranges, simple hymn tunes, combining tunes, simple composing, added interest, summing up, further study);

Find this information online at The Choir Trainers' Toolkit