Copyright law and its implications affect musicians and
educators every day, yet most of us have little to no
understanding of it. Whether majoring in performance or
education, undergraduate courses of study rarely present an
introduction to the subject, let alone offer any courses that
study it in detail. It is challenging to know what is
permissible under the law, and what exactly is allowed under the
doctrine of ‘fair use.’ Violations of copyright occur frequently
in our schools mostly due to the lack of education on the
subject, and, like it or not, use in an educational setting
alone does not necessarily constitute compliance with the ‘fair
use’ provision of the law. With increased scrutiny and debate
over copyright infringement on the internet, the staff at
Stanton’s would like to recommend the following resources to
shed light on the subject for musicians and educators alike.
They are presented in order of increasing detail, and we highly
recommend The Teacher’s Guide to Music, Media, and Copyright Law