gkangas’ blog

The "Creating Multi-Genre Essays" workshop was all about being creative.  Centered around crafting multi-genre projects, we talked a lot of different conventions.  Though our class didn't put as much emphasis on multi-genre work, I still found the workshop quite interesting.

For the most part it was an open discussion.  We talked about different genes we encounter in our everyday lives.  Newspaper articles, blogs, movie reviews, letters, and academic papers were just a few of those we discussed.  The workshop leader asked who was working on multi-genre pieces and if they had decided on their style.  Some hands went up and a girl in the front was called on.  She explained the process of how she had changed her research topic as she went along and was now looking for the best way to bring the topic to life.  As the research was on a baseball team, I suggested using the convention of the baseball card.  The individuals she was studying might each have their own card with their "stats", tailored to fit her topic.

We talked about a few other ideas and helped another student in the creative process as well.  This, more than other WC workshops I have gone to was really a workshop.  Essentially we were just working together on a project (albeit only brainstorming) and playing with ideas.  Though it didn't provide a lot for me and my project, it did get my creative juices going and I can always appreciate that.

Amy Winehouse took the UK charts by storm in the last few years.  In 2003, her album Frank went platinum and four years later Back to Black did even better (Sing365).  Cyril Cordur, music critic for the syndicated All Music Guide mentions her soulful, jazzy sounds as the heart of the music, but there's one element that really sells her records: blunt profanity.  Though this element garners praise for it's realism, it seems that the content is a little too real in Winehouse's own life.  PerthNow reports, "some unsightly red scratches on her arms have many fearing she is self-harming."  Combined with her own self-admissions about heroine abuse to celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, Winehouse is a California mugshot shy of the perfect candidate for rehab (Daily Mail).  Such a move would not only be a healthy step, but also serve as great p.r.  Celebrities who have been lambasted for poor behavior enjoy sympathy and renewed respect upon their admission of a problem.  Mary-Kate Olsen, a figure lampooned for months about her supposed anorexia and coke addiction went from a figure of shame to a beacon of righting one's wrongs.  When the blog Calico Cat reported on her entrance to rehab, countless comments flowed in.  Sentiments like, "I really respect Mary-Kate" and "true fans should stick by her right now in this time of need" could be found in every post.  If it worked for the clean-cut star of Full House, the much less drastic fall of Amy Winehouse could surely be remedied by a stay at the hottest celebrity club around: rehab.

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/bio/index.jsp?pid=567383
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Amy-Winehouse-Biography/6818A13EA5409EE748257290000F4AF7
http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,23278590-5005368,00.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=477347&in_page_id=1773&ico=Homepage&icl=TabModule&icc=picbox&ct=5
http://www.calicocat.com/2004/07/mary-kate-olsen-in-rehab-for-cocaine.html

This video gives some brief tips on the resource available through the highly-skilled staff of Halle Library.  At the 1:31, mention is made of the "specializing" of librarians.  Each librarian has a specialty in some academic area.  A list of the names and specialties can be accessed from the main page by clicking "Librarian Subject Specialists"

Google Scholar essentially scans scholarly works posted online for crucial information like author, publication and how it has been cited.  Searches work just like a standard web search and one can vary how broad or narrow the search is.  The results will be displayed by general "relevance" but one should look through several pages of results to find what works best.  To get the full range of possibilities, its important to let enter that you are a student of EMU (via "Library Links").  This ensures that resources restricted to students will still be displayed.

The more I've researched and asked questions, the larger this project has become.  What started as an interest has become a real passion and a project that is going far beyond the confines of a class assignment.  Though this is exciting and constructive, it is also tremendously difficult.  A topic (or "popic") as massive as Sesame Street will yield as much data as one seeks.  There's always more to study.  The biggest challenge I've encountered in my research has been getting myself to focus on specifics.  Will I concentrate on long-term effectiveness or educational strategies or general appeal?  The list goes on and on but I've had to narrow my pursuit.

The point of the project has been to look at pop-culture in particular.  For that reason I think it's important to put emphasis on the way audiences engage in the show.  Pop culture is all about communicating to the masses and being so effective that people talk about it.  What sets pop culture apart from culture alone is the idea that people are really latching onto it. 

I think that it's generally known that Sesame Street is widely popular.  Extensive ratings data and the extent that Sesame Workshop has grown internationally is proof enough.  Therefore in my final work I intend to start with that supposition in order to focus on how it has achieved that feat.  My community research has played a big role in beginning to answer that question.  Early on I watched a full episode of Sesame Street.  It was an older episode from the 1970s that exemplified many of the different aspects of the show (cartoons, music, puppets, etc.)  My notes are several very full pages of observation.  Summarizing what I saw into core concepts helped me formulate my questions for the interview I conducted. Before creating my final piece I also hope to consult an education expert at EMU to correspond the artistic approaches of communication with scientific reasoning.

From the beginning I've recognized my own particular bias in this area.  As a puppeteer myself, that particular facet of the show has been very intriguing.  In my interview I made sure to ask about the employment of puppetry in Keryn's performances, which given its occasional implementation most people would not have put focus on.  As a fan of Sesame Street myself, there also exists a bias to praise the show for its effectiveness in accomplishing certain goals without looking at research.  In a way, I consider it to be the model of "perfection" in edu-tainment.  If I believe that a certain method of connecting with kids might be effective, seeing it employed on the show would generally be conclusive evidence that it works.  Though this may be somewhat reasonable, it is not scholarly and is heavily biased.  My recognition of this possibility is important and I intend to look at my final work through that critical lens to ensure integrity.  I also hope that by speaking with an educator, I can shed light on educational effectiveness as opposed to the assumption of learning based on audience approval.

Upon my arrival at this particular workshop, I found that I was the only attendee.  I was warmly greeted by the presenter and after a few shrugs of, "I guess its just us" she took me through a crash course version of "Research 101." 

The focus was really on effective techniques for getting where you want to go in research.  Particularly using keywords that relate to your topic.  The strategy involves creating a list of ten keywords that are associated with the topic or research and apply those to web and database searches.  She explained that rather than using the phrasing you as the researcher might instinctively use to describe the topic, you should be specific to key points of interest.  One piece of advice I found helpful was to always be ready to add to your list of keywords.  While researching you might come across a word or phrase that really captures the essence of what your looking for.  Or, a word may be used frequently by other researchers and would therefore be a good staple in searches.  Sometimes the best place to look for these keywords is in abstracts.  These short descriptives are not only more efficient than skimming works, but they tend to hit all the keywords of the research.

It is also wise to consider the type of works you're looking for and predict the language and phrasing that genre utilizes.  Scholarly journals will have a remarkably different tone than that of popular magazines.  Sometimes these courses will use the same keywords and sometimes they won't.  Being aware of the differences leads to smarter, more effective speeches and saves time.

Though the workshop was a little unorthodox (one instructor, one student) it was fun.  I was able to expound verbally on my research project and explain my ideas.  The instructor gave me some good feedback and even provided a great contact she recommended I get in touch with.

In the workshop, "Connecting Your Ideas To Those Of Others" we examined how to use the work of others to lead into our own ideas.  This type of approach not only gives the writing a sense of legitimacy, but it also results in a logical progression of thought that the reader can easily follow.  The formula is as follows:

1.  Introduce the idea through explanation and topic statements
2.  Present information that supports/denies the above opinion
3.  Wrap up the thought with non-biased opinion and insight about the evidence leading to your conclusion

We were encouraged to think of the process as a sandwich, with parts 1 and 3 as the bread and 2 as the meat, lettuce, pickles, etc.  Sometimes the whole process would be achieved in three paragraphs (one paragraph for each step).  However, more complex ideas and thought progressions might have several paragraphs making a bigger "sandwich" by adding more in step two (the meat).

To better understand how this method was employed, we looked at a short essay titled, "There Is No Unmarked Woman" by Deborah Tannen.  Each of us was given time to look over the piece and dissect it; labeling paragraphs as 1, 2, or 3 (per the formula).  This "sandwich" structure was actually found throughout.  She begins with a larger sandwich of personal observation, made up of lots of details which she alludes to in the bread portion of her sandwich.  Elsewhere in the paper, she relies more on research done by others, describing them succinctly before applying them to her own thoughts and ideas.

If you really think about it, the sandwich method is just an explanation of logical writing structure.  Introduce an idea, provide support, then connect and wrap up.  However, it did make me consider an alternate writing approach.  I tend to create a loose outline that feels right before writing a piece.  This method may get me to look at the hard logic of boliing down thoughts and supporting them.  This may help make my writing more concise and easier to read.

Keryn Thompson-Kolar is the type of person that makes you feel boring.  Not in a bad way, but just by comparison.  Bubbly, energetic, and always ready with a new story, it's no surprise that Keryn is a clown by trade.  To kids she's known as Twist 'n Shout, but when I took the time to interview her she was simply Keryn, a children's entertainer.  Though we spoke on this occasion telephonically, we've met in person several times.  She is a slim woman in her early forties with short hair and a perpetual smile.  When she laughs (which is often) it's a light sort of laugh but completely genuine.  Periodic ohhh-my-goodness-es are sprinkled in her speech when she gets particularly worked up.  Her energetic stage persona is really nothing more than the logical progression of her own bubbly personality.

I began our conversation by describing what my research was all about.  I was hoping to make some progress in answering the question: how does Sesame Street do it?  How do they simultaneously educate and entertain decade after decade?  What strategies have they employed?  Part of answering those questions is speaking with those in the same line of work.  If Sesame Street is so pervasive, there must be some constants in children's behavior and learning styles.  Those working with them would therefore have to employ similar techniques as those on television.  Over the course of our interview I discovered many similarities.

Keryn began clowning thirteen years ago.  She describes it as a kind of logical yet unintentional progression of her talents and passions.  She had worked with kids for a long time, mostly as a volunteer in her church.  Along the way she taught herself how to twist balloon animals.  Though originally this was a hobby, word got around of her abilities and she found herself frequently requested at events.  It wasn't long before she was regularly showing up at gigs in full clown garb; armed with songs, magic tricks and other  oddities.  Upon the suggestion of a friend, Keryn attended a clowning workshop put on by a company called One Way Street.  It was this training and subsequent workshops thereafter that were paramount to her development as a clown and entertainer.

As I was looking to answer my education/entertainment question, I asked Keryn right out: how do you combine the two.  Her response was that it is quite simple.  Though the lessons she sets out to teach vary (sometimes religious, sometimes secular) the method is the same.  Object lessons are the key.  These are educational messages that are symbolized by a physical artifact.  They vary in complexity, but each has the same goal of communicating information by appealing to different senses and putting concepts into easily understood situations.  For example, one might display a plant suggesting that it is like a person.  Just as a plant needs the right things to grow (sunlight, nutrients, water) so do we (good diet, exercise).  Keryn says that clowning is the next step in an object lesson.  Clowning is, "objects lessons with pazazz."  Essentially the key is to hold a child's attention while you present the material.  Keryn uses magic, balloons, songs and slapstick to hold attention while she delivers her message.

So holding the attention is key, and she mentioned some techniques, but what about age groups?  A two year old would be interested in different things than an eight year old, right?  Keryn's answer: absolutely.  Younger kids (2-4) can't really grasp puns or many object lessons.  When you say, "this handkerchief is like responsibility," younger kids won't be able to connect those ideas.  Instead, they latch onto slapstick comedy and silliness (the clown thinks a dog is a bunny).  Ideally one can entertain different age groups separately, but that is not always the case.  An audience may have a very wide age range.  In those cases, Keryn says she tries to incorporate the elements of interest simultaneously.  She described one bit in which she used a lot of allegory in a magic trick where she pulled many things out of a box.  The older kids understood the message, but the younger ones couldn't connect the ideas.  At the end of the trick however, she pulled out a puppet duck named Webster.  She then carried on a short conversation with Webster about the very same message in clear, concise language.  This discourse allowed the younger kids to latch on as well.

As any one who has worked with kids knows, they are a challenge.  I asked Keryn what the toughest obstacle she encounters tends to be.  Mostly, she said, its distractions.  Audience misbehavior is an obstacle she must overcome in every performance.  Whether kids aren't staying seated or talking out of turn or hitting the kids next to them it all adds up to one thing: loss of focus.  In Keryn's line of work, it's all about keeping attention in order to deliver the message.  Distractions work against that.  She mentioned that these distractions aren't only found in the kids either.  Loud parents have often negatively affected her shows.  In order to combat these distractions, Keryn usually begins with the ground rules of the show before it begins.  "Don't be a walkie talkie" means that kids shouldn't be getting up and moving around or talking while the show is in progress. 

I was also curious about particular methods.  What bits tend to be consistently effective in getting a laugh or keeping attention.  Magic, says Keryn, is always a good draw.  Older audiences tend to like tricks with a little more "pow" while younger ones are just as enthralled by a simply scarf trick.  Both audiences tend to find mistakes on the part of the performer very amusing.  Keryn points out that magician's image is that he is this wonder who is all knowing and does each trick with ease.  Clowns on the other hand always mess up.  A clown may make blunder after blunder as the audience laughs at his ineptitude.  The surprise ending is when the clown finally gets it right and the audience is amazed.  Also among consistent techniques is audience participation.  Keryn says that she is always looking for ways to directly engage with the audience in her shows.  This may be a call and response or having an audience member lend a hand in a magic trick.  No matter what it is, she says, kids love to be involved.

All of these are good elements, but how do they come together?  What is the method for developing material?  According to Keryn, there are two tracks to follow.  One is to get the curriculum and look for "clown potential."  This means finding object lessons and puns to interject balloon animals, magic tricks and the like.  Keryn says when she's developing material she always asking herself, "what will do this best?"  The other track is to consider the curriculum in terms of base concepts.  For religious shows, often the theme is forgiveness.  The concept in that theme is one where something transgressions "disappear" so magic tricks utilizing that mechanism would be good choices.

That process of developing material isn't a one time thing either.  Keryn's material is always being tweaked and changed.  If she finds a more effective way of doing a trick or a funnier line to interject, she'll change the way she performs it.  Sometimes these are born from actual performances where she ad-libbed and it worked.  Audiences can provide some of the funniest material.  In one show she was twisting a balloon several times to make many sequential bubbles.  She had a joke that she normally told, but upon seeing the balloon a child in the audience said, "it looks like a diaper genie."  It got a laugh and is now part of her regular patter.

I also asked Keryn about music in her performances.  How (if at all) did she implement it and why?  This may have been a silly question, as her stage name "Twist 'n Shout" alludes to that very idea.  The name was born from her original schtick of "Twist a balloon and shout out a tune."  Before she'd mastered a wide array of tricks and games, she relied mostly on balloon animals and interactive songs.  Group songs with motions, she says, are a great way to achieve the element of audience participation.  Additionally, the act of singing and acting out motions serves as a mnemonic device.  The generally repetitious nature of the songs really solidifies the message of the performance.  Keryn recalls using music to help her son memorize lessons for school by setting the material to memorable tunes.  She also remarks its effectiveness on her, as she knows the Preamble to the Constitution only because of the Schoolhouse Rock segment.

What about puppets?  Sesame Street uses them quite a bit.  Are they a part of clowning as well?  In Keryn's case, yes.  Sometimes she will actually have a puppeteer help her in a show and sometimes she will simply manipulate the puppet herself.  In either case, she says puppets give another dimension to a show.  Though its usually just her up in front of the audience, adding a puppet allows them to interact.  The puppet character is often able to "pull one over" on the clown which the kids love.  Or, the puppet is commonly the one who gets the story or lesson wildly wrong.  This allows Keryn to explain the concept in clear concise terms so the kids hear it but it doesn't seem boring.  She mentions that kids are always willing to suspend their disbelief for a puppet.  She says, "this is a fantasy world they're willing to walk into."  Excepting the very young, kids generally know that the puppet is not real.  However, every one of them will talk directly to the puppet and are always eager to touch and interact with it after the show.   Plus, puppets can be very surprising and therefore engaging.  Where a skit with humans is pretty predictable (you can see who will be in the cast), with puppets just about anythign could pop up from behind the stage.

As we finished our interview, I asked Keryn one final question: what advice would she give to an aspiring children's entertainer?  Her first of wisdom was to get professional training.  In her experience she was able to teach herself some things, but having a real professional teach her the best way (and why it was the best) gave her a great toolbox of ideas.  She also warned against doing material as written.  Often magic tricks and balloon routine ideas come with patters but these are seldom written for children and boring anyway.  Make it your own, she suggests, and get creative.  Finally, she explained that kids just want to play with you.  They aren't looking to be amazed or dazzled or impressed.  They just want to have fun.  "I know it's such a cliché," she says, "but that saying is true, 'Kids don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.'"

I've decided to commit to the topic of Sesame Street, partly out of personal interest and partly because of its enormous scope.  Few items of pop culture could boast the level of pervasiveness that this children's show has achieved.  Sesame Street has not only reached a high number of viewers, but it has reached them at in their early development period.  Where television shows and magazines may affect adults in small degrees, Sesame Street intentionally seeks to alter the people its viewers become.

The show is also intriguing from a performance/education perspective.  How has it so consistently engaged viewers while simultaneously delivering pure textbook lessons?  As a student of the theatre and a puppeteer myself, I find this balance extremely interesting.  My hope is that by studying the work from a scholarly perspective as well as watching/reading interviews I can better understand the process.

I think there's a lot to be learned from resources not directly involved with the show.  For instance, observing children's reactions to the show as they watch it could give me insight on what appeals to them.  Interviewing teachers who teach the same material the show covers would also be insightful.  As trained professionals in communicating this information to children they will surely have opinions on what techniques work.

This project isn't just about early-development communication either.  Children are really only early stage adults.  How has the now-grown generation of Sesame Street watchers been affected by this style of teaching?   Are they any different than their predecessors?  Furthermore, how has the success of this particular show changed the way we educate?

Sesame Street has enjoyed enormous public approval over the years.  I myself really love the show.  What I seek to do in this project is understand the whys of these positive feelings.  I want to get a grasp on the how a group of individuals changed a whole school of thought on educating the young.  I am looking to understand the pros, cons and consequences of a project 39 years in the making.