Fair Use is a component of United States Copyright Law which provides a great degree of latitude when using copyrighted works for creative expression, including educational uses. This project will teach you and your students about Fair Use via a classroom debate that argues for and against fair use in relation to digital sampling–or the process of incorporating existing recordings into new works of art.

The lesson was created by TeachRock and can be taught in the context of the Musical Genres of NYC, as part of the Birth of Hop Hop, or as a standalone lesson in General Music classes and Modern Band ensembles with a desire to understand what the rules of the game are when it comes to using other artists' music in the context of original student works.

• Prezi - The Ethics of Sampling

• TeachRock Lesson Plan & Resources

Student Work:

• Ethics of Sampling - Student Arguments

• Music Production Extension - This is a perfect time to introduce a remix project to your students. Have your students suggest a few songs they might like to remix and find the A capellas on YouTube. Download the A capellas and create project templates for your students to build new backing tracks with (a.k.a., to "re-mix"). Be sure to set the project tempo and the key signature correctly for the A capellas, and line up the vocal to the grid for best results using SoundTrap or a similar DAW. SoundTrap Lesson Plans