Copyright Infringement Lesson Reflection

This afternoon I presented my new (and hopefully improved) lesson regarding copyright. In general, there were many things that I felt were much better here than in my trial run back in April. In today's lesson, I hit four national standards (singing, reading, listening, evaluating), but more importantly I adapted the lesson so it was more active. While the trial lesson was mostly lecture, today's implemented collaborative work, individual work, listening and performing. I feel really good that I was able to do all of this in a lesson regarding copyright. It also helped to consider the many facets of what music copyright is - I honed in on infringement and derivative work as these topics are more approachable and engaging than legal definitions.

The one major self-criticism I have is that I spoke too much and still tried to fit in too much material. At the beginning of the lesson I told a story that I think helped to engage the students. Had this been a group of middle schoolers and not grad students, I'm sure I would have juiced up the drama and really put on a show. In this portion, I felt OK about blabbing - I was storytelling. After this intro, I could have backed off on the number of words I used. I would guess that I said more than a thousand (in ten minutes).

I feel somewhat confident that the students understood that their goal was to use musical elements to determine whether or not the musical example can be considered a derivative work. Within that objective is a secondary goal, that the students would understand basic definitions of copyright infringement and derivative work. I had the definition of copyright infringement on their worksheet and used repetition of "derivative work." Still, I have no good reason for not writing that objective on the board or on the handout.

Another improvement from the trial run was that I chose a newer piece of music for my example - something that young students would know and have an easier time relating to (Domino by Jessie J vs Bright Red Chords by Loomis and the Lust). The solfège syllable assignment and listening activity served as analysis, though in a real middle school classroom, we would have spent more time on these activities. 

I concluded with a worksheet that gave students the opportunity to rate the similarities of the two pieces and come up with a verdict about the copyright infringement case. This verdict and the last question on my worksheet (what musical element(s) helped in making your decision) served as the final assessment of my objective. I could have also added a place for the students to define derivative work using their own words. 

I am sorely disappointed that I forgot to mention my homework assignment! It was simple, but valuable. Had I remembered to assign it, the students would have gone home and found an example of music copyright infringement to share in the next class. With this assignment, I'm sure a few of the students would have dug deeper into this interesting topic and potentially made more of a personal connection to it. 

All in all, I think the lesson went well. It is not yet perfect, but with some tweaking and adaptation, it will be an interesting lesson on a topic that can seem boring when poorly presented. If nothing else, this assignment has peaked my personal interest in the topic of music and copyright. 
 

Funding in a modern BOJC program

Let's face it, our programs can be pricier than a majority of other academic courses. We need to supply instruments, chairs, stands, technology, concert and marching uniforms and published music to benefit our students. In a perfect world, our programs would be well-funded so we could easily purchase all of this and more. Of course we would also have an additional fund for clinicians and trips. Although this would be nice, it may not be realistic.

Aside from whatever funding is provided through the district, there are a few things that I feel are very important to keep a modern BOJC program financially sound. First and foremost is parent involvement. Parents on our side can help with many tasks like fundraising, advocating for the program, and promotion.

Second, we must consider our resources when raising money for our programs. As directors, we should be seeking out opportunities that can help us raise money and awareness for our programs. This shouldn't be a car wash or back sale. The answer is built right into our curriculum - performance! Not only can certain concert events provide a financial cushion for the program, they can help raise an awareness for our programs. I find that performing outside of the school campus is very beneficial. This way, we can gain support from the greater community - the members of the town who otherwise wouldn't have a personal connection to our program. In addition to the usual concerts, the music groups should have a role in on-campus events like graduation, award ceremonies, assemblies, and so on.

Lastly, I think that when considering funding and growth of a program we need to create traditions, while at the same time providing new, exciting opportunities for our students. In the classroom we think about how to engage our students. In the case of funding, we need to engage not only our students, but administration, parents, and the greater community.