Post by Adam Steinberg The primary goal of the How A Song Is Born studio was to encourage creative confidence and fearless expression while learning essential skills needed to compose, arrange and record original songs in a fast-paced, fun, supportive and extremely-challenging studio environment. Working in both a large group (all of us) and in three smaller groups of three, everyone was encouraged to reach deeply and explore their own aesthetics, strengths, presumptions and self-perceived weaknesses; to experiment and evaluate, construct and deconstruct; to learn to give value to their own ideas and the ideas of others; and to work together to create a whole that was greater than the sum of its parts. Trying many things for the first time, the students would ultimately tell their own story with sounds, rhythm, words and music of their own creation. On a good day, this is more than enough to ask of anyone who has done it dozens or hundreds of times, not to mention never having tried it before. The journey was nutritious, enlightening and super fun, and the results were diverse and stunning: The memorable chorus and focused craft of Running Out of Time, with wonderful vocals and production; the stark and raw beauty of Take Me Through, with its moving lyrics, lovely and brave singing, and super-tasteful alto sax solo; the ultra-fun Acoustic Alchemy Mix with its ambitious remake of an 8-artist mash-up featuring great guitar playing, an effective but simple string arrangement, and a wonderful blend of voices that should be heard from again. One of the biggest challenges was how to get everyone going on their creative journeys as quickly as possible, considering our time constraints. The 2-week studio was a wonderful and highly-challenging format in which to explore how much knowledge is just enough at any given time in the creative process and discerning which skills were needed up front and which ones would be most effectively learned in-process.

We needed to cover basic recording techniques so everyone could effectively record with a microphone or direct instrument, learn to control virtual instruments with a MIDI keyboard, creatively use effects, and edit and navigate a recording session in Garageband. We had to explore techniques of songwriting in ways that would most quickly lead to inspiration, but also needed to understand some fundamentals of form and convention to give everyone a confident place to start from. The students had to be responsible for a great deal of information in a very short time. We found that fast, hands-on training using familiar styles and cultural references was the most efficient and fun way to have the information take on relevance and stick in the mind throughout the process. I was struck by how quickly we got past the initial instruction stage and into creating music.

This was the third studio in the trimester and some of students had worked together already. This created some comfort and familiarity, but also created an opportunity for us to shake things up a bit by intentionally grouping some students who hadn't had a chance to work together. There were varying levels of experience, confidence and musical skill coming into this: Some students played instruments to varying degrees of skill (there were a few incredible standouts!), some had written poetry (voluntarily even!), and some had sung somewhere other than the shower...but no one had ever attempted this kind of endeavor, and in many ways, it was equal footing for all. You can imagine the various states of mind in the room in the beginning: curiosity, excitement, and fear. It was critical that we create an environment of support and inclusion in order for everyone to be able to explore and reveal themselves as fully as they could. There was a lot of shyness and some amazing and courageous firsts: singing from people who had NEVER sung before (in front of others or on a recording), powerful, beautiful lyrics from first-time writers, and recording, production and arranging of ideas from people who had never set up a microphone, written or recorded before.

The journey was to be far more important than the outcome, but the outcome (the final projects) would be the clearest path for retracing and understanding the journey in order for the studio to have a lasting impact. Developing this process was a fascinating study of contrasting, yet complimentary paths of applied technique and finding one's own instinctual way. There is more than enough theory and technique to learn about sound, music, songwriting, recording and production to last a lifetime, and we had less than two weeks. The evolution and development that happened in our 7 days together was incredible. (Okay, it was 8 days for the 2 out of 3 groups that came in on the SECOND snow day on their own! Many kudos to those who showed up.) We had only a few general guidelines: Everyone had to meaningfully participate. Each individual in the group would take turns being responsible for the roles of Artist, Producer and Engineer in order to gain a fuller understanding of the various facets of the process. Everyone would take turns getting their way if there was an impasse. At least one group implemented this once. Project Requirements: Large Group Project: Remake of Living On A Prayer Everyone had to contribute at least 8 bars worth of original verse lyrics. Unfortunately we ran out of time to record it! Nonetheless, it was an extremely valuable exercise in lyric writing and certainly helped get the creative juices flowing. Small Group Project: Song must contain an introduction, 3 distinct sections (with noticeable dynamic and instrumental content) and an ending. Each piece must use examples of audio and MIDI recording, editing, virtual instrument and effects, and each team demonstrates an overall ability to create and navigate a session in Garageband. Each piece must contain a vocal component (didn't have to be singing, although all three projects chose to use singing).

Throughout, we were mindful that music is as much about feeling as anything. This was a recurrent theme that allowed us to get to the deepest core we could in the time given. Music and song easily related to the trimester's theme of Storytelling and we found myriad connections along the way. In the best of circumstances, ours was an ambitious agenda. Among the questions we asked ourselves were: What is it about music that moves us? What drives creativity? How do culture, purpose, time and place influence forms of expression? What are the connections between personal and universal experience? What are functions of the various roles in a writing/recording team? We answered some of this via discussion and listening and most of it by doing. And that was the whole point: To do. Each group has eloquently written their own blog about their group's experience, and they express their intentions and process better than I ever could. Two out of the three groups took the initiative to create wonderful videos to accompany their music. I am deeply grateful for having been able to work with such a wonderfully courageous and talented group and I cherished the experience. This was really not so much about the final product as it was about the journey. It was about lighting the fire. I was assisted by Tufts University senior (and colleague) Nick Gang. His energy and contribution, both creative and technical, were invaluable. Also, many thanks to Saeed, Saba and David for their support and this wonderful opportunity. Adam Steinberg February 2, 2011

Charlotte and Catherine, students at NuVu and Beaver County Day School, invented an unique prosthetic hand. They called it the Ratchet hand. Each hand can be printed on a 3d printer for about $5; much cheaper than conventional prosthetic hands. 

Yesterday, a reporter from NECN stopped by to shoot a feature about Charlotte's and Catherine's Ratchet Hand. They were joined by Leon and his father. Leon is a 13 year-old boy whose left hand is not fully developed. It is missing all fingers; except for the thumb. Leon has used RoboHands before but was excited to try out the Ratchet Hand. It provides a new set of functionalities; as compared to the standard RoboHand. Leon used the Ratchet Hand to easily draw a picture of a smiley face in front of NECN's rolling cameras.

Leon is excited to continue working with the teens at NuVu and trying out different prosthetic hands; like for example a hand specifically designed to fit into a baseball glove. His father said that it will make playing this sport much more enjoyable for Leon. 

 

We are thrilled to announce that NuVu Studio will be moving to a new space this coming August. Our new studio space will be located in Central Square in Cambridge, MA in the same building as the

We have been enjoying our two weeks of Spring Break. Our first studio about alternative energy will be starting on Monday. The studio will be taught by David Quinn, a PhD in Building Technology at MIT.

Design-Build Team: Trevor Hoffman, Valerian Planche Here is a video describing the Music Box, an innovative musical instrument made out of six distance sensors. The Box plays different notes based on the hands distance from these sensors.

Project by: Elinor Brelis, Emma Magidson, Daniel Tsui Studio:

One aspect of the Bean to Bar campaign is an interactive timeline that would be a part of Omanhenes website. Although they already have a description of their chocolate-making process, we think that it should be made more interesting and interactive so that they can capture the interest of a younger audience. The first screen that will come up when this timeline option is selected will be one showing illustrations of all nine steps of Omanhenes chocolate making process. Issues such as the value chain and Fair Trade will be incorporated into the timeline too. The timeline includes a Fair Trade Line, which shows the narrow area of the value chain Fair Trade focuses on. It also demonstrates the value chains effects, showing that one pound of cocoa beans is sold for about $0.60, while one lb of chocolate is sold for approximately $13.00. When a viewer clicks on an item in the timeline, another screen will pop up. On this screen there will be a short paragraph describing what is done to that item, it uses, and its place in the value chain. There will also be either photo slides with captions better explaining the process or a video showing it. In the bottom right hand corner, there will be the option to buy each of the items. In order for this to work, Omanhene would need to sell each step in the chain leading from bean to bar so that customers have access to all of these natural products. If they can see, feel, and taste more than just the finished chocolate bar or hot cocoa, they will be able to internalize all that went into making that specific bar. This will set Omanhene apart from other companies because consumers will be able to understand that their process is special and worth supporting.

If Omanhene decides to sell each step of the Bean to Bar process, the next step of the campaign would be to create recipes and uses for the new products. The executive chef of Omanhene is Francois Kwaku-Dongo, a famous chef that used to work under Wolfgang Puck. We think that Omanhene should create an online cooking show featuring Chef Francois to be uploaded to their Youtube channel, Facebook page, and website. About once a week, Chef Francois would upload a new video to Francois Kitchen. In each episode, Francois would demonstrate and promote a new recipe that includes one or more ingredients from the new line of step by step products. In some episodes, he would also cook with either Ghanian or American teenagers, and occasionally both. This would attract a younger audience in addition to the serious cooks and foodies. By working with people from both cultures, this show would also help form relationships between kids who lives across the world from each other. By watching the videos, even kids who are not involved will learn about Omanhene and Ghanaian culture in general. They will not see the teens from the other cultures as foreigners, but as kids just like them. Viewers would also be encouraged to post their own videos that could either be responses to the previous ones, questions for either Francois or the kids, or their own Bean to Bar recipes.

The final part of the Bean to Bar campaign would be a page titled What does Bean to Bar mean to you? This page would be another section of Omanhenes Youtube channel where Omanhene employees would share why their companys mission is important to them. They would also encourage the viewers to make video responses in which they would answer the same question. This section is important because it gives Omanhene and its customers a chance to communicate through talking instead of writing. It also helps make the term Bean to Bar more well known as it is used more often. We also think that Omanhene executives and employees should respond to customers specific questions and videos because it makes the two feel connected. If Steve Wallace (president) were to periodically comment and personally thank people for posting videos, the people watching the channel would have a relationship with him (even if it was only through the web) and would be more likely to follow Omanhene (and be educated more).

Through the Bean to Bar campaign, we hope to educate the customers of Omanhene. We hope to force people to think about how their food was produced and make them choose one product over another because they support the producers methods. We also hope to connect the people in Ghana and Omanhene with the rest of the world through videos and, in the case of Francois Kitchen, face to face interactions. The main goal of Omanhene (that we are hoping to help achieve with the Bean to Bar campaign) is to make the world let go of their assumptions about Africa and see that it can compete with the rest of the world.

Post by Carli Jaff Superheroes, comics, and gizmos, oh my! Last Monday, 13 bright eyed, anxious students came into our studio for the two-week

Klara & John presenting their voice-controlled longboard

Max sketches Mr.Bada$$'s propeller hat

Coach Seamus & Max discuss the intricacies of drawing comic backgrounds

All the gizmo projects and materials list

Materials for Michael and Thomas' flame(water)-thrower glove

Michael and Thomas working with Coach Sean on their dual gizmos

Coach David explains the workings of the propeller with Arlo

Saeed testing the enhanced 3d glasses

Gearing up to test the flame(water)-thrower glove

Fueling the flame(water)-thrower with H2O

A comic in the process of being colored

Klara inking over her comic about a superhero competing for a voice-controlled longbo...

Working hard

Yalie and Nathan programming their remote-controlled car

By using HD glasses, one can control the cars movement and see through the camera ...

Mr.Bada$$s propeller hat in progress

Yash building his team's pogo boot

Armando and Benji try to dissect the technical problems of their wall climbers

Super Gizmos being built!

Busy day at the studio

Ink everywhere! - we try & enjoy the mess as much as possible

Nathan & Coach David examining the remote-controlled car

Armando tests the wall climbers

The remote-controlled car being assembled

Generated by Facebook Photo Fetcher Yalie and Nathan are creating a car made from scratch that is the size of a remote-controlled toy car. By using HD glasses, one can control the cars movement and see through the camera mounted in the car in order to see from the perspective of the car. John and Klara are working on a voice-controlled longboard as well as a comic book. The comic book is about two superheroes who meet and both want the longboard. They end up getting into a heated fight over it. In the end, they agree to share the longboard, but the board ends up being evil. In order to fully illustrate their story, John and Klara decided to create a longboard that is completely controlled by voice. Hannah is in the process of creating and illustrating a comic book about a battle between a brother and sister. The two of them are fighting over a barren wasteland. Hannah began by sketching her comic and then continued to trace over it all with blue pen. She then drew over all the pencil lines with a sharpie pen and then began to ink her comic. Her next step will be to color the entire comic. Sam, Armando, Benji and Yash are creating a pogo boot as well as wall climbers to accompany their comic book. The comic book tells the story of an American super soldier, the ExoNaut, and Red, the Russian spy. To complete their project, the four boys are working on both a pogo stick boot and wall climbers. The boot is made out of parts from a pogo stick, while the wall climbers are built out of suction cups. Arlo and Max are currently writing and illustrating a comic book about Mr.Bada$$. Mr.Bada$$ is saving the city from his evil brother, The Pounder. Mr.Bada$$ gizmo is a propeller hat. Mr. Bada$$ always wears a tophat, and when he needs it to move someplace, the top hat will fly. Michael and Thomas have built a flame-thrower glove that, for the safety of everyone around, shoots pressurized water. The flame-thrower glove also has retractable claws so that if the superhero runs out of water or flames, the claws can hit the villain. While they dont have a specific superhero in mind, both Michael and Thomas had similar ideas about what they wanted their superhero to do - that made it much easier to team up and build a gizmo together! So far, the comic books and gizmos look great and the students are working to build the best products they can by Fridays presentations! Stay tuned for more updates on the Super Comics and Super Gizmos studio!

Students have been spending the last few days creating their sci-fi visions based on mathematical calculations (space mining) or pure imagination (film fiction).

Students here in the Film Fiction studio storyboard the main scenes for their film trailer in their sketchbook.

Over the course of the past few days, each team in the Film Fiction studio has laid out their world, characters and storyline in an effort to compose their individual film trailers.

In the Space Mining studio, the "Integration" Team conceptualizes the overall design of the spacecraft and space mission headed to the "Amun" asteroid to gather metals to bring back to planet Earth.

The "Propulsion" Team in the Space Mining studio is researching various methods to propel the rocket from Earth and deliver the spaceships in pieces to the orbit. These pieces will get assembled in orbit and then send various mining vessels to land on the asteroid to mine the metals over a period of a few years.