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A good stand light has just one job, really: to provide excellent light. Seems simple until you try to work with subpar lighting. It’s one thing to have a stable music stand to put your notes, books and sheet music on; it’s another thing to be able to actually see everything on the stand.
If you’re looking for the best music stand light, you can narrow the field by zeroing in on a few factors that separate the merely serviceable from the real life-changers. The first and most obvious requirement is that the light be bright enough to illuminate all pages evenly — without being so bright that it’s distracting or casting shadows or glare. Even better is a light you can adjust for brightness or color; you want to be able to read the music in front of you without affecting your neighbor or the overall mood of the concert environment.
The next thing to consider is the quality of the actual machinery and how long this thing is going to last. A music light that starts to dim after a few months is pretty much useless. Stand lights come in rechargeable, battery-operated, and plug-in varieties, and there are are pros and cons for each.
Other features, like how well the stand’s grip holds to a surface, whether the light is portable, or if it’s suitable for other uses can also be helpful when considering which light you really want. We’ve found options that clip-on easily to existing music stands, and are portable enough to be carried around in your bag or instrument case too.
