Using Music in Schools

Many activities in schools require licences.

• Does your school use an overhead projector instead of hymn books during assembly?
• Does your school use recordings of television and radio programmes in the classroom?
• Is music played in dance or aerobic classes?
• Does your limited budget mean you cannot afford to buy enough books or music for your pupils and you tend to rely on photocopies instead?
• Do you ever hold discos on your school premises?
• Do you ever put on plays, musicals or concerts?

These are just some of the normal school activities which depend on the use of literature, music and art in their many manifestations. Many of these works are protected by copyright and those who created them are dependent upon being paid for the use of their works for their livelihood.

Each school is responsible for ensuring that all necessary copyright licences have been obtained to cover its activities.

A handy guide to copyright licensing in schools can be found here. This will help you to identify school activities that may need to be covered by a licence and directs you to the appropriate organisation for further information and advice.

An A5 colour leaflet containing most of the same informatione, including the 'at-a-glance' guide, may be downloaded as a PDF file from the bottom of this page.

A Guide to Copyright Licensing in Schools