I was troubled a few years ago by how disrepectfully my students would treat printed music. They would treat it as if it were just a worthless scrap of paper that could be thrown away without consequence. Why did they treat it as if it were worthless, why didn't they realize that this printed music was something special and that it is something that is worth taking care of?
The short answer is because I often gave my students photocopies of printed music and these were worthless. Students get photocopies from teachers of all subjects all day long. They know that if they loose it, its no big deal. The teacher will replace it for them.
That same year I was playing in the pit orchestra for an opera. The sheet music for this opera was on rental and was very, very old, but well cared for. When I turned to the back page I noticed that it had been signed by several of the previous performers. There wer eautographs dated as long ago as 80 years prior with locations all over the world. I realized then that there is something special about printed music; it is something worth taking care of.
I decided then that if you want the students to take care of their music, you need to give them something worth taking care of. For years I had avoided giving original copies of music to students (copyright laws or not) becuase I was afraid they would loose them. This because self fulfilling as the students realized that the copies were worthless, they would loose them carelessly. The very next year I made sure that I taught my students the value of printed music by only giving them original copies.
It is a lot of work to stay organized and keep track of all of the parts that I have given them, but it is worth it for them to learn that the printed music has value. Here's how I do it. Every sheet of music in my library has a unique number 7 digits long. The first three digits represent the box number of the arrangment (every arrangment in my library has a unique box number). The next 2 digits are a code representing the instrument. The last 2 digits represent which copy of that part it is. Before I hand out a piece of music to the band. I make a list of all students in the class in Excel and type the part numbers that each student will receieve. I print the list out and have student assistants distribute the parts according to the printout. The students understand that they will be billed for the replacement cost of that sheet music if I don't get their specific seriel number returned after the concert.
Does it work? I get nearly every page of music back from my students, and those that don't return their music pay for it. Sometimes students from my program go on to other schools where the band directors aren't so scrupulous about the copyright laws. Those students express shock that their current teacher would treat printed music with such disrespect!
Music is something special. Perhaps in 20, 30, 50, or 70 years a future student of my middle school will play something from my library and have the same epiphany that I did about the value of music when they see the pencil marks left by one of my students today. The intelectual property contained on the flimsy sheet of paper has value far beyond the couple of pennies that the physical property of that flimsy sheet of paper.
Music Publishers Association
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1 comment:
How about also having the students write their name and date on the back of their music before turning it in. Perhaps some day, a student will find his dad's music--or big brother's. How much more valuable that might be--or not!
Band Geek's mother
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