For community bands, orchestras and choirs
Community band software your members don't have to learn.
Your leaders run the roster, the music, the concerts and the money in one place. Members get email, their own calendar or paper — no app and no login required.
90 days of Complete · No credit card
Not sure where to start? Pick what you're solving first.
What each member gets the morning of rehearsal
Cedar Creek Community Band · Concert Band
Rehearsal Reminder
Hi Pat, Personal to each member
You have a rehearsal coming up. Here are the details + what we're playing.
- Date
- Tuesday, December 1, 2026
- Time
- 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
- Venue
- Cedar Creek High SchoolTap for directions
- For
- Holiday Pops
Rehearsal order
In the order you'll play it- 1.▶Sleigh Ride - #112Leroy Anderson · 2:55
- 2.▶Russian Christmas Music - #204Alfred Reed · 14:00
- 3.A Christmas Festival - #118Leroy Anderson · 9:00
- 4.Greensleeves - #87arr. Alfred Reed · 4:30
- 5.▶The Liberty Bell - #45John Philip Sousa · 3:30
- 6.The Stars and Stripes Forever - #12John Philip Sousa · 3:45
▶ Pieces marked with this icon have a recording — tap the title to listen before rehearsal.Recordings to practice with
Rehearsal note
We're in the band room tonight — use the north doors. Bring a pencil.
You told us you'll be there — see you tonight.
Something came up — I can't make itTapping this notifies your section leader and director.
One tap · no app · no loginNobody gets left behind
Four ways in. Every member picks their own.
The clarinetist who has played with you for forty years and the college student on third trumpet shouldn't need the same thing from you. Each member takes part at the level that suits them, and nobody is left out for not installing an app.
Rung 1
Paper
A printed schedule, stand tents, and loan agreements signed with a pen. When someone calls to say they’ll miss rehearsal, a leader records it for them.
Rung 2
Email and one tap
The weekly email and the morning-of rehearsal reminder. “I can’t make it tonight” is one tap from the email, with no login. On Complete, dues can be paid from a personal link too.
Rung 3
Their own calendar
One tap puts every published rehearsal and concert in Google Calendar, on their iPhone, or in Outlook, and it updates itself when a time or place changes.
Rung 4
The app, if they want it
It installs from the browser, with no app store: one tap on Android, Share then Add to Home Screen on iPhone. Nobody has to.
Everyone sits on the same roster, and you run the band the same way whichever rung each member is on. In a normal week, members get two automated emails: the weekly email and the rehearsal reminder.
Everyone who keeps the band running
One place, a different view for each job
Sixteen roles, from member to president. Each person sees the part of the band they look after.
Music director
Seating from the parts in the music, the stage chart, the rehearsal order, and who can’t make it tonight.
What you getLibrarian
Scan the score, count your sets, and pull and pack folders without the clipboard.
What you getSection leader
Your section’s roster and attendance on your phone at rehearsal, and one message to the whole section.
What you getTreasurer
On Complete: dues online or by check in one ledger, donations kept separate, and year-end donor statements.
What you getEquipment manager
Every band-owned instrument, what it’s worth and what’s out for repair; on Complete, who has it on loan.
What you getMembers
The schedule, the music, “I can’t make it tonight”, and signing up to help, without learning anything new.
What you getFor the librarian
From the cabinet to every stand, without the clipboard
Music Folders takes a concert program and works out who needs which part, how many copies you have, and what goes in each folder. The pull sheet prints one piece per page in type you can read at the cabinet.
- 1
Scan
Photograph the instrumentation page of the score and the parts list fills itself in.
- 2
Count
Count the sets in your cabinet, or mark an untouched piece “as printed” in one tap.
- 3
Pull
A pull sheet for each piece, in cabinet order, with anything you’re short listed at the end.
- 4
Build
Which parts go in which numbered folder, with percussion folders laid out the way the music is.
- 5
Pack
Tick folders off as they’re packed. Change the program and you get only the difference.
The weekly email
One email a week that the band actually reads
This week's rehearsals, the music and the news from your leaders, in one email instead of a dozen reply-all threads.
On the day each ensemble chooses
Concert band on one day, jazz band on another. Each ensemble sets its own.
In your leaders’ own words
Leaders reply to one email with their news, and by default it goes in word for word.
Approved before it sends
Someone you choose sees the exact email and can edit it before it goes to the band.
Money and instruments
The treasurer's ledger and the equipment closet
Dues and donations
Complete plan- Members pay online by card or bank transfer, from a personal link, or hand the treasurer a check. It all lands in one ledger.
- The money goes to your band's own Stripe account. Backstage Baton never holds it and adds no fee on top.
- Members can choose to cover the bank-transfer fee, so the band nets the full amount.
- Donations stay separate from dues, with year-end donor statements for 501(c)(3) bands.
Instruments
- On both plans: the inventory of every band-owned instrument, repairs with their costs, and a value report for your insurer.
- On Complete: lend instruments to members with your band's own agreement, signed from an emailed link or on paper. A parent or guardian signs for a player under 18.
- At check-in you tick off each accessory that came back. A missing mouthpiece is flagged on the instrument, never blamed on the next borrower.
Reports
The numbers people ask the band for
They come from what you already record week to week, in one Reports page, on both plans.
For the board
Attendance and concert reports
Rehearsal and concert attendance, and each concert’s rehearsals, roster, music and audience as a record.
For your insurer
Equipment value report
Every instrument with its value, ready for an insurance schedule or a grant’s asset list.
For ACB
Music usage report
What you performed and when, in the format the Association of Concert Bands asks for.
Learn moreFor funders
Grant report
Every concert with its venue and county, audience by age and county, and who played.
Learn moreBuilt alongside a real band
Backstage Baton runs the week-to-week life of the Highlands Ranch Concert Band in Colorado: the roster, the music library, the rehearsal reminders and the weekly email.
It's built by the band's concert manager — fifteen years on its board, and a performing musician in it every week.
“Our weekly communication is clear, focused, professional, and cohesive, honoring our members’ time and talents while keeping everyone informed. I especially appreciate how easy it is to send my weekly message knowing it works seamlessly with communication from other board members, giving the entire band one unified voice.”
“… Backstage Baton puts all of our band information in one place so it’s easier than ever to conduct band business so more time is spent making music together.”
HRCB is where Backstage Baton started. Our founder plays in the band and runs its concerts, and the band uses it free as our founding band.
“Backstage Baton has given our band a ‘one-stop’ place to run all operational aspects of the group. From concert planning, to rehearsal scheduling, to member communication, it is all done with this program. Greg Walker has built this program from years of experience serving as our manager.”
“Every part of this program was created with the sole purpose of making the organizational details easier so everyone can focus on the joy of making music.”
HRCB is where Backstage Baton started. Our founder plays in the band and runs its concerts, and the band uses it free as our founding band.
“Backstage Baton transformed our band management from a stack of Google docs, paper forms and hours of texting and emailing into a one stop location for community band management.”
Four Corners is one of our founding bands, which receive a reduced price.
Getting started
From sign-up to your first rehearsal email
- 1
Start the trial
Ninety days of the Complete plan, no credit card. Pick a plan when it ends.
- 2
Set up at your own pace
Bring in your roster and music library from the spreadsheets you already have. Members get no automatic emails while you do.
- 3
Go Live
When the roster and schedule look right, work through a short checklist and flip the switch. That’s when your members hear from you.
Rather have it done for you?
Founder Concierge Setup is $99, once. I bring in your rosters, music library and equipment inventory, set up your sections and ensembles, and train your team in a live session. Kickoff call within 2 business days; we aim to have you live within a week or two of sending your spreadsheets. Non-refundable once your session is scheduled.
See plans and pricingRead before you start
The Go Live guide is for your leadership team: what happens when you flip the switch, and what your members see, and when. Other printable guides cover section leaders, the treasurer, music folders and instrument loans.
90 days of Complete · No credit card
Plans start at $39 a month; get 2 months free with annual billing. Compare plans
From the blog
Resources for ensemble leaders
Practical guides for directors, librarians, and coordinators.
The Complete Guide to Community Band Software
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Read article →Best Community Band Software 2026 — Honest Comparison
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Read article →5 Signs Your Community Band Has Outgrown Spreadsheets
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Read article →A little honesty
Backstage Baton isn't for every band.
If you're a 4-piece cover band, a wedding-and-bar-mitzvah outfit, or a touring originals act playing 50+ gigs a year, we're overkill for your shape. Try BandMGT or BandHelper — they fit you better.
We're purpose-built for volunteer-run community concert bands, orchestras, and choirs — 30+ members, a board, a treasurer, an annual concert season. If that's you, you're in the right place.
Book a walkthrough
I'll show you the whole thing with your band in mind — the roster, the library and folders, rehearsals and concerts, what your members see, and the money. Then start your free 90-day trial.