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Hello/ Welcome to my very first Technology Blog! My name is Ms. T and I am an elementary instrumental music teacher who will begin to break down the "fourth wall" (the imaginary wall between stage and audience) between you and Intellectual Property.

Intellectual Property is a scary but powerful concept. Do we own what we dream, think, believe? If so, how do we monitor this and how can we control who uses it? Do we even want to control how others view and use our ideas? 

One of the ways that I want to explore this is through music. Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart had these wonderful compositions that today we use freely. For those who aren't aware, Mozart wrote this little composition:

Today we know it better as this:

Or even this: 

Or how about this:

So you see my predicament. 

Looking from the perspective that you do not want your music stolen, here are some questions one could ask:

• If this happens with Mozart, what will happen today with music composed by our students or ourselves? 
• Who does the music belong to when they compose during school? 
• Should students and parents copyright their musical compositions? 
• Should they be placed on the internet, via technology for others to take and use?
• What should happen if they are stolen, used, or adapted? 
• What about music sharing sites/ piracy/ torrent sites?

If you look from the perspective that you believe there are benefits to sharing your music and musical ideas, here are some questions:

• Do we want to stop the ebb and flow of sharing music and compositions?
• How would this negatively affect/ effect music and how it changes?
• Is all music really original, or simply just a "variation" of a composition that already exists?
• If we did not have music shared via technology, how would the musical world be?
• Isn't iTunes, Pandora, GrooveShark, Spotify assisting in the collaboration of musicians and the spread of music through our cultures?

Through my exploration of intellectual property, technology, and how we share/ copyright our music, I'm hoping to shed some light and break down that fourth wall so to speak. Feel free to ask questions and comment below!