The issue of copyright came up in class today as it does very often. While I was explaining to a 7th grade general music class how we could apply what we have been learning about pitch, tone color, harmony, melody and rhythm by creating music in FLstudio, a student who had already downloaded the demo version at his house told me he ” inserted the voice of the Southpark character Mr. Garrison into the music” he made at home. I informed him that this could be considered a copyright violation but it did depend on the circumstances. He looked shocked. We spoke briefly about sampling and what one can and cannot do. It seems the time is right to begin discussing these issues on a regular basis and exploring the intricacies of them in depth as the year progresses. There is no doubt that the issues will remain a hot topic throughout the years to come. A report came out just this month discussing the issues of fair use and free expression in our culture.
Over the past few years I have been covering issues of copyright and creativity more and more. Students are extremely passionate when it comes to discussing the various issues and points of view surrounding copyright and copyright alternatives as well as the many ways they interact with music in their lives that are affected by these issues.
Often the discussion of copyright in music education focuses on issues that music teachers have to deal with in their daily teaching. It is probably more common to hear a discussion about the problem of photocopying sheet music or making a recording of a performance than whether or not it is legal to sample a creative commons licensed piece of music and use it in an original composition. When the topic is presented to students it is often presented from one legal and ethical point of view leaving out other perspectives and alternatives. Issues of copyright and music are constantly in the news. Our students can easily become involved in the dialogue taking place across the nation and we have a responsibility to help them develop an understanding of the facts, and issues from a wide variety of perspectives so that they can form their own opinions and make informed decisions.
