Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum "do you have Christmas music?"

"Yes, yes I do. It's mine, and I don't feel like giving it to you."

So the situation is the other piano teacher down the hall (whom I've referred to several times) doesn't have American Christmas music and wants to "borrow" some of mine, which I picked up exclusively for teaching after last Christmas. Some background, I lent this teacher one of my other books thinking she wanted a song or two for her students, and she ended up copying 10 or so songs that were way beyond her students' levels (and then proceeds to tell me how easy they are :\)

In any case, I have no desire to lend her my books, which I foolishly told her I have (I'm an honest person, what can I say?) How can I best deal with the situation? Presently I've just been "forgetting them" at home.

I know how you feel!

There is a piano teacher who borrows books from me all the time. She doesn't buy her own books, it seems. I started a check-out system like a library. Maybe I should add renewal fees and late fees.

Then there's this other feather-brain for a teacher. I borrowed her book ONCE because my student needed two copies of the piece for an evaluation (we can't make any photocopies for our state test). I gave the book right back to her after the evaluation. Now she thinks I've been taking books off her shelf.

The problem goes both ways.

"Neither a borrower nor a lender be..."

I too have a check-out system for lending items, but I still end up chasing people. What about "I'm sorry, but I need it for one of my students". Then there's "you can have it overnight but I must have it back tomorrow ...for x reason..."
Then there's "No, I'm sorry but I just don't lend music"
Hey, what about "I haven't got it - I lent it to someone and didn't ever get it back"
Or just keep on forgetting it.

Short answer "no". Good luck, I feel your pain . But honestly, these people just need to buy their own!

I should probably specify that I suspect she'd borrow, walk down the hall, and make copies of everything she'd potentially hand out to students.

I'd be happy using "I'm using these songs for my own students" but she and I both know I don't have enough students to use up all the songs for recital material.

I'm tempted to just go with the "no," but I still have about 5-6 months here... a bit too soon to start making open enemies.

Were only we all robots and didn't have emotions.

Thanks for the empathy, it helps.. some.

Aren't you also being put into a position of copyright infringement if she copies the material you loaned? Some teaching material is actualy published with the purpose of making copies for *one's own purpose* included, and expressly stated in the edition. In those editions, dissemination beyond one's own students is forbidden. Other editions have copyright that expects you to use the material for yourself, and your students to have their own copy (gray area in practical terms?)

I've heard of teachers writing their own arrangement which is different enough to be considered a new arrangement, with the new arrangement clearly marked, "arranged by Teacher Cleverperson" and that way they are totally within the law.

KS

Sal,

I used to order music for all my students from an outfit in NJ. Internet sales have come a long ways since I left Germany and returned to the USA. PianoVision is one such outfit offering wonderful deals to piano teachers.

I would have a heart to heart with this teacher. Explain that as a fellow musician, everything a person copies rather than purchases, takes income from a working musician, and that you will not knowingly be a part of it. If the teacher is a German national, they have less strict rules than we have, so you may have to explain to her that as she is teaching on an American facility, she is bound by US laws as well as German laws.

Tell her that the cost of ordering is minimal, and because the Army has the APO system, the cost of delivery is no greater for her than for people back home.

Here in the States, teachers have received fliers from a number of publishers with discount offers for new Christmas music; FJH, located on the East Coast in Florida, has a 50% offer for teachers. See their web site or send them an email.

Hope this helps some.

The resolution: I mentioned to her today that I was planning to put in an order for some books, and would she like to add some to it. "No, I ordered some last week."

Freedom (I hope)