Generators vs
Replicators
A New Perspective on Performance
By Colette Silvestri
Derry Township School District
© 1999
Some Fond Memories…
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Hated Freshman
Writing Class
Was shy in class as I
wasn’t sure of my work
Was failing Music
Theory
Despised doing work in
school and couldn’t
focus.
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Spent hours writing
plays
Could not shut me up
outside of classes
Composed music at
night
Became almost
obsessive about my
work. (Again worked
into the night)
Four things…
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IBM came to CMU’s music department
looking for composers.
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The Creative Child – basically the
Manhattanville Music Project class
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Remembered that the only buildings open
at night at CMU were the Fine Arts and
Computer Science buildings.
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WWII’s Enigma Code
Learning how to Play…
The Scotch’n’Soda Story
In 1996, Carnegie-Mellon University had just completed and was ready to
dedicate a new student activity center on their main campus. The Board of
Alumni decided to open the new building with an assembly of alumni who
had succeeded in producing “hit” plays at the university. When they called
the Drama Department, however, they discovered that the major musicals
such as Pippin, Godspell and Where Do We Go From Here were actually
created by a “renegade” school club called Scotch’n’Soda. The club
consisted of computer hacks, engineers, and drama/music hopefuls. They
met across campus in a dirty sub-basement room of the Margaret Morrison
building. Launched in 1938, S’n’S’s unmonitored “fun” continued unabated
for 58 years with an understandable lapse between 1943-1945. The
objective of the group was to write & produce an original musical.
“No, I was not Drinking!!”
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Scotch’n’Soda was (and still is) a student-run theatre
organization whose initial intent was to create and
produce original musicals. No teachers were involved
and everything was produced by students. However,
due to declining student interest in writing original
musicals over the past decade, the group has primarily
been performing professionally published works.
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During Its ‘original’ heyday its alumni included Stephen
Schwartz (Wicked), Iris Dart (Beaches), Frank
Gorshen (Batman), Biff Liff (William Morris Agency)
and Barbara Feldon (Get Smart). At one point, many
S’n’S members could be found on the executive
boards of CBS, ABC and NBC.
Playing to Learn
The WIREWorks Story
In 1995, a project called WIREWorks was presented to
the Harrisburg Opera Association. Based on the
Scotch’n’Soda model, the intent of the project would
provide the community with a new way of looking at
the arts and education. Also, compared to S’n’S, the
WIREWorks students strictly utilized computers for
their composition of plays, music and even set design.
Instead of the students simply “running off” to write original
musicals into the night, a few volunteer teachers were added
so that students could ask questions pertaining to structure,
construction and marketing. Much like Scotch’n’Soda, the
pace of WIREWorks was dictated by the students themselves
and not via “lesson plans”. In this manner they ran ahead as
fast as they desired. The only challenge was to keep pace
with them.
A Few Ground Rules…
( D i t a = T A O d)
(Discipline in the Arts = The Art of Discipline )
WIREWorks' vision is to
Develop a
Philosophy
which promotes
Responsibility
to nurture
Creativity
so that our Community may achieve
Productivity
The WIREWorks Philosophy
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The program will be free to the community
No student will be turned away
All students are talented
Talent must be first "discovered" then trained
Collaborations on pieces are encouraged
No criticism is permitted
All plays and/or songs can be "tested" and
"repaired"
There is always enough time
Responsibility
o All participants must be willing to teach or learn for "free".
 They must show up for a 4 hour class per week.
 All participants must understand that art is NOT a hobby
but an industry.
 Collaborations may be required in spite of personality
conflicts.
 Students must be willing to try a new skill.
 All Prima Donnas will be dismissed as soon as they're
scoped them out!
 What’s a grade? The audience is armed with rotten
tomatoes!! It’s either PRODUCE or produce!
 Do nothing which brings disgrace to the workshop,
classmates...or yourself.
Creativity
o Do not FEAR failure. The objective is to
keep trying until it "works"
o If you can't do it...try it!
o If it ain't broke...BREAK IT!!
o You've made a mistake? We'd all like to see
it, please.
o Playtime IS Work time
Productivity
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Products take the form of plays, songs and performers, homepages, recordings,
transmissions, knowledge of hardware, technology and the ability to perceive or
envision new methods of any of the above. If you can perceive it, you can achieve it.
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If a product or material is not adequate or doesn’t even exist…yeah! You’ve found
your market niche.
o
Students are "graduated" to local arts organizations, the tech workforce and/or
institutions of higher education. They are encouraged to bring finished portfolios with
them. They are also taught that they are the consumer…NOT the institution.
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There is less need to ‘import’ performers, directors and tech consultants from other
areas, thus less travel and professional expenses for local companies. We’re selling
here, folks, not buying
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Our local arts & educational communities will be encouraged to live up to their vision
statements to support and encourage local artists
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All WIREWorks members should graduate with a general understanding of intellectual
property law, how royalties & distribution work and other aspects of this industry that
literally determine if we will survive in the fields of art or technology.
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Help to develop your community when you can. What you will not offer in talent, you
shall pay in tax.
Scotch’n’Soda
(Factors)
Environment
Public Impression
Participants
Structure
Work Schedule
Cost
(Social)
Objective
Group structure
Origin
Behaviors of Note
(Liabilities)
Observations
WIREWorks
The Dungeon (basement office)
Not endorsed by faculty
“Renegade” Music/Drama/Tech majors
“Loose” structure
In between classes and in the night
All Volunteer
The WIRE Coffeehouse (Old store front)
Not quite endorsed by parents or teacher
Teenagers in their “pupae” stage
No structure
Tuesday evenings and into the night
All Volunteer
Created Original Musicals & Plays
Loners, some small cliques
Came from every college department
Ate every meal together
Met between classes and at night
Hacks would share computer skills
Highly agitated behavior and “drive”
“Fed” off of each other’s energy
Tight clique
Exchange of Ideas at high speed
Created Original Musicals & Plays
Loners, small cliques
Come from many school districts
Ate together after class
Met on Tuesdays, weekends & free time
Musicians/Thespians/Composers share skills
Highly agitated behavior and continuous “drive”
“Fed” off of each other’s energy
Tight clique
Exchange of Ideas moved at higher speed
Some members were dismissed
“Hid” their work from teachers
Irate if not permitted to continue work
Grades were low or barely passing
Students had high rate of “detention” or suspension
Their talents were “hidden” from teachers
Irate behavior if not permitted to continue work
Grades are inconsistent or low
Something Unusual…
The most striking observation in WIREWorks’
was that the students began to demonstrate
‘behaviors’ similar to the students involved in
Scotch’n’Soda. These behaviors manifested
alone or were a combination of the following:
• Increased energy levels or accelerated learning pace
•“Outbursts” of concentrated work
• A preference for night writing and
• Irritability when their work or workshop had to be
temporarily postponed or halted
The group demonstrated the final behavior over the
Christmas holiday that year when both, Christmas Day and
New Years Eve fell on a Tuesday.
Generators vs Replicators
Is it better to be right or write?
In redesigning the WIREWorks’ program to include some elements of the
Scotch’n’Soda model from CMU, I found some “behavior” patterns which I
believe will be relevant in understanding how to stimulate “intrinsic” learning
in teenagers.
After a year of observing these teenagers, and experiencing some of these
“obsessions” myself, I believe that a second stage of child development has
somewhat been overlooked. Aside from the Montessouri child, where
activities were repeated over and over again, there seems to be a second
stage of learning. This stage, beginning around the age of 13, is an age
where kids want to literally spread their wings and try the skills which they’ve
learned.
In a discipline-based environment, experimentation and empowerment has
somewhat been challenging. The result is a generation which seems “out of
control”. The sad fact, actually, is that they somewhat have control over their
skills and just need mentors to help them better utilize what they’ve learned.
I’ve dubbed this stage as “the age of generation” as they generate poems,
stories, want to exchange ideas (which usually results in gangs), right down
to “redesigning” themselves via Mohawks and shocking wardrobes.
• Because everything was ‘original’ at The WIREWorks, the
differences between those who generated work and those who
replicated it became very apparent:
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Generators
Composes or constructs
Plays and improvises
Will risk reward to learn new skills
Failure is part of the process
Masters a skill and moves on
Prefers personal learning rate
Desires to work on personal projects
Concept Based
Replicators
Reads
Instruction Oriented
Prefers to achieve a perceived reward
Failure is a destination
More stubborn to abandon learned skill
Prefers group learning
Relieved to abandon assigned projects
Detail Based
The Irvine Report
On February 28, 1997, a study by University of California at Irvine researchers showed that piano
lessons significantly improved the reasoning skills of preschool children The study involved 78
three- and four-year-old children of normal intelligence from three preschools in Southern
California. Thirty-four children received private piano keyboard lessons, 20 children received
similar private instruction on computers, 10 children were given group singing lessons and 14
children in a control group received no special lessons. None of the children involved had any
prior music lessons or computer training. Gordon Shaw, the Irvine show conduced the study, said
the study used the piano as the musical instrument of choice because a piano keyboard gave the
children both a linear and audible representation of the relationship between sounds. Shaw's team
did not include other musical instruments in their research.
All of the preschool children involved in the study were tested to measure their spatial reasoning
skills prior to any training. They were tested again after about six months of lessons. The
researchers used reasoning tests from the performance sub-test section of the Wechsler
Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised, a standard test used in schools nationwide
to score children's reasoning abilities. To test the preschoolers' spatial-temporal skills, Shaw and
his researchers asked them to put together a four-piece picture puzzle known as the Object
Assembly test. Successfully performing this test required the children to form a mental picture of
the completed object and to rotate the puzzle pieces to match the mental image.
Only the piano keyboard group showed significant improvement in their ability to use abstract
reasoning skills to complete the task. Abstract reasoning skills -- clinically known as
spatial-temporal reasoning -- involve the mental manipulation of images and information.
According to the researchers, “…these skills are crucial ingredients in the higher brain functions
that are used for mathematics, science, engineering, or even a good game of chess.”
Singers vs Pianists
What is the Difference?
In reviewing the behavior patterns of the students of Scotch’n’Soda, WIREWorks and the findings at
the University of California at Irvine, a pattern can possibly be theorized. All of the works done at
S’n’S and WIREWorks were original. Then, In the case of the Irvine study, singers & students on
computers did not score as high as pianists in the study. Why?
Probably the most important factor concerning the Irvine study is “how” the children were taught.
Were they taught how to write/read music simultaneously while they learned piano or sang? Were
they exposed to computer language or simply led through a computer program via pictures and
stories? The following is a preliminary breakdown of the various skills used.[1]
Pianists
Vocalists
Computers
Visual
Audio
Visual
Uses manual dexterity
Relies upon body “sensations”
Uses manual dexterity
Material is “quantitative”
Material is “quantitative/qualitative”Material is “quantitative”
Usually sustains the beat
Involves some math skills
Involves some math skills
Measured via visual variances
Measured by audible variances
Via visual variances
Must “regenerate” music
Usually guided by accompanist, Usually guided by software
sheet music or recording
WIREWorks in a Public School Setting
One of the surprising factors faced at WIREWorks was that teenagers seemed to prefer to ‘generate’ works rather than having
simply ‘replicative’ activities. If a single play was selected for mastery, they grew bored and desired to move onto a new
play or else move to a generative level of the same activity. The following is an example of this type of modification;
Replicative Lesson Plan
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Presented with a previously produced or published script
Read and attempt to comprehend character in the story
the creation of the character (based upon both the style, tone of the play)
“direction” of the character (based upon instructions given by director or playwright)
Generative Lesson Plan
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Students provided empty music or writing paper. If they want to sing…they must write the song, etc.
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Students provided with a word, joke or fairytale. They must write a one to two page scene.
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The class reads the scenes and then provides details concerning the character, such as the character’s color of
hair, build, accompanying values, etc. They are even encouraged to make up a story behind the story which sometimes
helps with the construction of subplots.
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Once the students “detail” their visualized character, a student director may attempt to begin ‘standing up the
scene.’
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If the observing students believe they can do a better job of directing, acting, etc.—they may request to try the
scene as well. The best of the students usually end up doing the scene. BUT ALL STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO
ATTEMPT THE PIECES.
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Directors and playwrights are taught that their directions and instructions are merely part of the process. The
construction of the character and continuation of play development is continued via the interpretation of actors.
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If your stuff is good, sign up for the Intellectual Property Law Workshop.
The Basic classes for WIREWorks
broke down into the following:
Arts
Technology
Drama
Voice
Composition (formula based construction)
Graphic Arts and Design
Play writing (formula based construction)
Homepage Construction
Graphic Animation Construction
Special Effects (wav., midi, etc.)
Real Time applications (MP3 & film etc.)
Directing
Student Portfolio Development
Transferable Skills
Volunteer Training & Placement
College Prep & Placement
Internship Placements
Community Service
Memetics
Corporate and Public Presentations
Multimedia applications (electronic stage
production, public presentation, etc.)
Public speaking
Basic understanding of intellectual property,
business and corporate laws & practices.
The following items seemed to have been
important to the members of S’n’S and The
WIREWorks…
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Safe environment for creativity
Trust
Permission to Initiate “play”
Constantly keep tools (including data) up-to-date and within reach
Accelerate or diminish rate of data dissemination according to the
student’s ability to assimilate concepts
Encourage or advise during the learning process (mentor). Create
collaborations if need be.
Curriculum flexibility in the event of a technological change.
DO NOT BE ASHAMED TO ADMIT THAT YOU ARE ‘OBSOLETE
TODAY!!’
Do NOT measure performance or levels before or during process
Permit students to conclude their work and to make mistakes
Let student measure him/herself at conclusion of project
Their audiences and the critics will be more than happy to provide
their grades.
Conclusion…
An Example of a WIREWorks Envisioning Project (1998)
The Holographic Stage
If the Whitaker achieves the creation of a “holographic” stage which can sustain
“storable” holographic images it would:
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Provide performing arts companies a “software program” which omits the
costs of transporting, purchasing or renting stage props, backdrops and
furniture. This would be a boon to a number of companies as a good portion
of their budgets are spent on such items.
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Be exceptionally exciting to see a “box” of a stage “come to life” with
furniture, etc. before the audience’s eyes.
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Demonstrate a true merging of the arts and technology.
Technologia (greek):
A systematic treatment of an ART form.
http://www.musion.co.uk/Cisco_TelePresence.html