The Question of Copyright in Music Therapy Practice and Research with Children

A Short Essay

Authors

  • Viggo Krüger University of Bergen/NORCE, GAMUT – The Grieg Academy Music Therapy Research Centre, Norway
  • Kathleen M. Murphy State University of New York at New Paltz, New Paltz, NY, USA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v23i1.3392

Keywords:

ownership; creative works; copyrights

Abstract

This short essay discusses the relationship between ownership of creative works and music therapy. We ask the following question: what do we mean by ownership of stories and songs in music therapy? We answer this question by highlighting examples from music therapy literature. We base the essay on the notion that children may have certain rights concerning their intellectual properties and products made in therapy, but these rights are not always honored. Musical products such as lyrics or narratives made in music therapy are protected by most countries' national copyright laws, and music therapists working with music should pay close attention to the rights of the creator. Music therapy should not be a free zone or grey area where the laws on copyright do not matter. The essay offers suggestions for practitioners and researchers.

Author Biographies

Viggo Krüger, University of Bergen/NORCE, GAMUT – The Grieg Academy Music Therapy Research Centre, Norway

Viggo Krüger, PhD, works as an associate professor and research leader at The Grieg Academy Music Therapy Research Centre, University of Bergen, and NORCE (Norwegian Research Centre). Krüger has published books, book chapters, and articles on topics such as child welfare, education, and mental health. He also has more than 25 years of experience with community music therapy work for adolescents, in schools, child welfare, and mental health.

Kathleen M. Murphy, State University of New York at New Paltz, New Paltz, NY, USA

Kathleen M. Murphy, PhD, LCAT, MT-BC is an Associate Professor and Program Director, Music Therapy Graduate Studies, at the State University of New York at New Paltz, New Paltz, NY. She has over 40 years of experiences as a music therapy clinician currently working and researching music therapy in addictions, and community music therapy practices in the United States.

Photo of authors Viggo Krüger and Kathleen M. Murphy

Downloads

Published

2023-03-01

How to Cite

Krüger, V., & Murphy, K. M. (2023). The Question of Copyright in Music Therapy Practice and Research with Children: A Short Essay. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v23i1.3392

Issue

Vol. 23 No. 1 (2023)

Section

Essays

License

Copyright (c) 2023 Viggo Krüger

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Articles published prior to 2019 are subject to the following license, see: https://voices.no/index.php/voices/copyright