TME Tuesday: Finding the Source

Have you ever had your creative and intellectual property stolen by someone?

I have, and it was devastating! Someone passed off a song that they learned at their internship (which was my internship as well) as their own in a professional conference presentation. I couldn't believe that they stole my song by taking credit for it when it was complimented, but I heard her say, "Thanks, I wrote that song in my internship." Nope. I WROTE THAT SONG IN MY INTERNSHIP! I graduated before this person started, but it was MY SONG, not hers!

As a result of that one comment where someone took credit for something that belonged to me, I have been a voracious defender of copyright protections ever since. I strive to find the original sources for every song that I use in my sessions. This is because I always remember that situation and do not want to take credit for something that is not mine to begin with.

So, I am a bit of a researcher into copyright issues and how to avoid complications when it comes to copyright claims.

All of this blathering to state that is important to respect the intellectual property of other people in all aspects - writing TMEs, leading interventions with clients, and when posting things on social media. There is so much that goes into music use, licensing, and copyright, that we have to be cognizant of those rights, even when we are using musical pieces for purposes other than simply listening. There is an important ethical aspect as well - do we use music without acknowledging those who created that same music? Yes, we do, but SHOULD we?

My students are completely unaware of the origin of the songs I use with them. They don't know that some of the songs that I present are piggybacked songs while others are my original compositions, and that still others are someone else's intellectual and creative property. If you go into my TME compendium, though, those things are stated as close to the actual information as I have been able to find. When the music is not mine, I do not replicate it in any way on the TME. I provide links to the information - either sheet music book references or online links. I try to show that the music is not my own in every possible way to avoid conflict with those who do own the music.

Source your experiences carefully, please.