I’m a proponent of music programs inviting students to engage in public forensic musicology as “musical detectives” and as a form of musical engagement and learning.
I include this type of engaged music analysis in my own Art of Teaching Contemporary Musicians Course at ASU (complete with a mock trial). I think forensic musicology has a lot of potential in K-12 settings, assuming that you adjust as necessary for your particular context and students.
Contents
What is a Forensic Musicologist and What Do They Do?
“Forensic musicologists apply their expertise in music (current, historical, music theory), music production, and copyright law to help identify, explain, show, and teach the musical facts that are relevant in matters of music copyright.” – Brian McBrearty
Process as A Learning Opportunity
When engaging music students in forensic musicology, I suggest focusing on the process and letting students make and explain their own decisions and perspectives.
This is more important than determining a “correct” answer.
This type of engagement situates music analysis in a real-life context that occurs in popular culture and addresses Core Arts Music Anchor Standards artistic processes such as Connecting and Responding. Forensic musicology may also be an interesting way for students to develop and apply aural skills.
Possible Approaches to Facilitating Forensic Musicology & Analysis In Your Program
There are so many ways to set up the investigation creatively.
Mock Trials
I like setting up a mock trial as a culmination of the analysis.
Facilitating Analysis
If you want some resources for supporting the analysis, you might consider modifying Victoria Malawey’s model for examining cover songs and their sources in the book [affiliate link] Pop-Culture Pedagogy in the Music Classroom. Also, make sure to check out the fabulous podcasts featuring music analyses Song Exploder and Dissect. Also, take a look at Adam Bell’s SongExploder project for music students.
Recent Forensic Musicology in Popular Culture
As I suggest in my article From musical detectives to DJs: Expanding aural skills and analysis through engaging popular music and culture you can often find examples of people accusing musicians of copying others’ music by searching online with phrases such as “stole song” “stolen song” “copied music” “ripped off” try using song or music. As a helpful resource, I’m listing posts that share examples of public musicology. I’ll update it as I can.
Examples of Public Forensic Musicology
Exploring “Mine” and “7 Rings” Through Public Forensic Musicology - Does Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings” copy Princess Nokia’s “Mine” ? I’m a proponent of music programs inviting students to engage in public forensic musicology or as “musical detectives” as a form of musical engagement and learning. Here’s a recent example of an artist accusing another artist of copying their music. In this case, Princess Nokia… Read More »Exploring “Mine” and “7 Rings” Through Public Forensic Musicology- Forensic Musicologists in the News Again! - The recent New York Times article The Man Musicians Call When Two Tunes Sound Alike by Alex Marshall provides some well-deserved attention to forensic musicologists and has some great potential for related project work in music programs. Marshall explains how many people “stumble into the profession,” but if we include forensic musicology as a way… Read More »Forensic Musicologists in the News Again!
- Blurred lines, forensic musicology, and music - [updated 3/17/15] Musicologists, and more specifically forensic musicology, are receiving some attention in the mainstream press lately over the lawsuit regarding whether Robin Thicke and Pharell Williams violated copyright law by essentially creating music substantially similar to Marvin Gaye’s music without permission or providing royalties to Gaye’s estate. (To make a long story short, jurors… Read More »Blurred lines, forensic musicology, and music
- Dead Prez & Jean-Pierre Rampal – A serendipitous sample discovery - While listening to the following recording this morning I immediately thought to myself “I know that melody” . . . Jean-Pierre Rampal & Lily Laskine performing Kojo no Tsuki Now check out Dead Prez performing Behind Enemy Lines I looked at the liner notes of Dead Prez’s album let’s get free and couldn’t find any… Read More »Dead Prez & Jean-Pierre Rampal – A serendipitous sample discovery
Resources on Forensic Musicology
- Selected writings by Joe Bennett, many related to forensic musicology
- What does a forensic musicologist do – Brian McBrearty
- Bennett, Joe, “We Can Work It Out: Forensic Musicology Methods” (2023). Faculty Works.
https://remix.berklee.edu/faculty-works/8 - Begault, D. R., Heise, H. D., & Peltier, C. A. (2014, June). Forensic musicology: An overview. In Audio Engineering Society Conference: 54th International Conference: Audio Forensics. Audio Engineering Society.
- Leo, K. M. (2020). Forensic Musicology and the Blurred Lines of Federal Copyright History. Lexington Books. (affiliate link)
- A list of people who engage in forensic musicology – American Musicological Association
- What’s “preventive forensic musicology” ? – Brian McBrearty
- Posts on current issues and cases around forensic musicology – Brian McBrearty on the Musicologize Blog