Ensonglopedia of the Human project: Tools & Technology / Us & The Universe
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Sussex
Department Name: Sch of Mathematical & Physical Sciences
Abstract
The University of Sussex is teaming up with educational musical theatre company Ensonglopedia (a not-for-profit limited company) to deliver part of a larger Arts Council-funded science communication project entitled 'Ensonglopedia of the Human', which will be disseminated to a young audience at KS2/3 in the form of a live show, music videos, school workshops, an album on CD and digital release, and an educational pack. The project explores what it means to be human, from a variety of scientific and philosophical perspectives.
This application focuses on two of the show's 26 educational songs: a song about the evolution of tool design from pre-history to the present day (e.g. particle accelerators & space telescopes), and a song about humankind's relationship with the Universe as a whole. We will be commissioning a music video for both songs, and a documentary 'webisode' featuring these videos as well as additional background science and interviews with experts in the field. The documentary element will showcase the human face behind the science, to inspire its young audience to pursue further study in STEM subjects.
In order to make the videos, we will run a series of workshops at Ditchling Primary School, where we will disseminate the science in the songs to enable the children to create the animation elements for the videos under our guidance, thus stressing the links between the creative arts and the communication and public understanding of science. The funding will also pay for performances of the live show, Ensonglopedia of the Human, at the University of Sussex and at two primary schools in Grimsby. And finally we'll produce a teacher's resource pack with games, exercises and suggestions for further investigation around the themes of the 2 songs.
All content, including song lyrics, will be peer reviewed by a wide range of advisors in different fields, including STFC-funded scientists at the University of Sussex, and scientists at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Ontario, and the University of Lisbon.
The 'Tools & Technology' song, video and teachers' resources will:
- educate its audience, in a light-hearted and entertaining way, on the overarching history of humankind's mastering of technology, including the fashioning of tools from wood, stone, iron and silicon, and the harnessing of fire, electro-magnetism and fundamental particles
- inspire school students to continue their studies in STEM by presenting their classroom topics in an entertaining & engaging way
- supplement the National Curriculum at KS2 and KS3, in particular regarding the uses and functioning of electricity, magnetism, forces, and the use of different materials
The 'Us & the Universe' song, video and teachers' resources will:
- educate and entertain its audience regarding our current understanding of Big Bang cosmology and Standard Model particle physics
- inspire school students to continue their studies in physics & astronomy related studies by presenting their classroom topics in an entertaining & engaging way
- supplement the National Curriculum at KS2 and KS3, in particular regarding the Earth's position and motion through the solar system, and the electromagnetic spectrum
The Ensonglopedia of the Human project as a whole will:
- educate its audience on a wide range of subjects in the human sciences, including anatomy, healthcare, evolution, sociology, neuroscience, the development of agriculture
- stimulate in its audience a respect for science, the planet and their fellow human beings
- inspire young people to pursue careers in physics, biology, medicine, and other STEM areas
- supplement the National Curriculum in science at KS2 and KS3
This application focuses on two of the show's 26 educational songs: a song about the evolution of tool design from pre-history to the present day (e.g. particle accelerators & space telescopes), and a song about humankind's relationship with the Universe as a whole. We will be commissioning a music video for both songs, and a documentary 'webisode' featuring these videos as well as additional background science and interviews with experts in the field. The documentary element will showcase the human face behind the science, to inspire its young audience to pursue further study in STEM subjects.
In order to make the videos, we will run a series of workshops at Ditchling Primary School, where we will disseminate the science in the songs to enable the children to create the animation elements for the videos under our guidance, thus stressing the links between the creative arts and the communication and public understanding of science. The funding will also pay for performances of the live show, Ensonglopedia of the Human, at the University of Sussex and at two primary schools in Grimsby. And finally we'll produce a teacher's resource pack with games, exercises and suggestions for further investigation around the themes of the 2 songs.
All content, including song lyrics, will be peer reviewed by a wide range of advisors in different fields, including STFC-funded scientists at the University of Sussex, and scientists at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Ontario, and the University of Lisbon.
The 'Tools & Technology' song, video and teachers' resources will:
- educate its audience, in a light-hearted and entertaining way, on the overarching history of humankind's mastering of technology, including the fashioning of tools from wood, stone, iron and silicon, and the harnessing of fire, electro-magnetism and fundamental particles
- inspire school students to continue their studies in STEM by presenting their classroom topics in an entertaining & engaging way
- supplement the National Curriculum at KS2 and KS3, in particular regarding the uses and functioning of electricity, magnetism, forces, and the use of different materials
The 'Us & the Universe' song, video and teachers' resources will:
- educate and entertain its audience regarding our current understanding of Big Bang cosmology and Standard Model particle physics
- inspire school students to continue their studies in physics & astronomy related studies by presenting their classroom topics in an entertaining & engaging way
- supplement the National Curriculum at KS2 and KS3, in particular regarding the Earth's position and motion through the solar system, and the electromagnetic spectrum
The Ensonglopedia of the Human project as a whole will:
- educate its audience on a wide range of subjects in the human sciences, including anatomy, healthcare, evolution, sociology, neuroscience, the development of agriculture
- stimulate in its audience a respect for science, the planet and their fellow human beings
- inspire young people to pursue careers in physics, biology, medicine, and other STEM areas
- supplement the National Curriculum in science at KS2 and KS3
Planned Impact
We break down awareness raising, dissemination and networking into three main routes.
1. Live performances & webisodes
2. Marketing
3. Informing scientists, educators & communicators
1. LIVE PERFORMANCES AND WEBISODES
The two songs made with STFC funding, and their accompanying videos, will reach a public in two main ways:
Firstly, they will feature in live performances of the hour-long science communication show Ensonglopedia of the Human. This show will tour to 10-15 venues in February/March 2021 (there are 8 confirmed bookings to date), and thereafter tour the country in the footsteps of previous Ensonglopedia and Scientrilogy shows (which between them have visited 200 venues to an audience of 50,000+).
Secondly, they will be released online as part of a series of webisodes, and offered for broadcast on local TV networks.
2. MARKETING
Ensonglopedia has five years' experience in marketing science theatre to attract a live audience, borne out by the success of previous shows and online material. The company has a 1000+ strong Mailchimp mailing list, and active Twitter and Facebook feeds. Venues will have their own brochures, mailing lists and social media platforms for publicising performances.
Marketing will also be carried out via the University of Sussex outreach programme in physics and astronomy, which runs over 100 events each year to schools and the general public.
An experienced theatre photographer will take publicity and performance shots, and several project partners are providing in-kind photo shoot locations.
John Hinton has made many appearances on local BBC and community radio stations to talk about (& perform songs from) his science communication projects. Such slots, and appearances on local TV stations, will be actively sought to promote the live show and the online content, providing an extra reach for the science.
We are budgeting £100 specifically to market the videos included in this application.
3. INFORMING SCIENTISTS, EDUCATORS & COMMUNICATORS
We will inform other scientists, educators & communicators through our links with the following organisations & networks:
- South East Physics Network
- Institute of Physics teacher networks
- Royal Astronomical Society
- BIG STEM Communicators Network
- VOICES music in STEM
- Association for Science Education (ASE)
Articles about the project will be submitted to Physics World and The Guardian's Brain Flapping blog (for whom John Hinton has previously written 2 guest articles), and to the newsletters and internal publications of all partner organisations, and will be published on the project's own website www.ensonglopedia.com.
In Ensonglopedia's experience of touring, the live shows are well attended by scientists, science educators and communicators, particularly at science festivals. Anecdotally, educators often comment on how useful the shows have been in providing ideas for classroom teaching, which will be greatly enhanced with the additional resource of accompanying videos and teachers' packs.
A detailed evaluation of the project, including an evaluation of the co-operation with each of the project partners, will be distributed to all partners.
1. Live performances & webisodes
2. Marketing
3. Informing scientists, educators & communicators
1. LIVE PERFORMANCES AND WEBISODES
The two songs made with STFC funding, and their accompanying videos, will reach a public in two main ways:
Firstly, they will feature in live performances of the hour-long science communication show Ensonglopedia of the Human. This show will tour to 10-15 venues in February/March 2021 (there are 8 confirmed bookings to date), and thereafter tour the country in the footsteps of previous Ensonglopedia and Scientrilogy shows (which between them have visited 200 venues to an audience of 50,000+).
Secondly, they will be released online as part of a series of webisodes, and offered for broadcast on local TV networks.
2. MARKETING
Ensonglopedia has five years' experience in marketing science theatre to attract a live audience, borne out by the success of previous shows and online material. The company has a 1000+ strong Mailchimp mailing list, and active Twitter and Facebook feeds. Venues will have their own brochures, mailing lists and social media platforms for publicising performances.
Marketing will also be carried out via the University of Sussex outreach programme in physics and astronomy, which runs over 100 events each year to schools and the general public.
An experienced theatre photographer will take publicity and performance shots, and several project partners are providing in-kind photo shoot locations.
John Hinton has made many appearances on local BBC and community radio stations to talk about (& perform songs from) his science communication projects. Such slots, and appearances on local TV stations, will be actively sought to promote the live show and the online content, providing an extra reach for the science.
We are budgeting £100 specifically to market the videos included in this application.
3. INFORMING SCIENTISTS, EDUCATORS & COMMUNICATORS
We will inform other scientists, educators & communicators through our links with the following organisations & networks:
- South East Physics Network
- Institute of Physics teacher networks
- Royal Astronomical Society
- BIG STEM Communicators Network
- VOICES music in STEM
- Association for Science Education (ASE)
Articles about the project will be submitted to Physics World and The Guardian's Brain Flapping blog (for whom John Hinton has previously written 2 guest articles), and to the newsletters and internal publications of all partner organisations, and will be published on the project's own website www.ensonglopedia.com.
In Ensonglopedia's experience of touring, the live shows are well attended by scientists, science educators and communicators, particularly at science festivals. Anecdotally, educators often comment on how useful the shows have been in providing ideas for classroom teaching, which will be greatly enhanced with the additional resource of accompanying videos and teachers' packs.
A detailed evaluation of the project, including an evaluation of the co-operation with each of the project partners, will be distributed to all partners.
| Title | Ensonglopedia of the Human live show |
| Description | A live musical theatre show called "The Ensonglopedia of the Human" was produced, comprising of 26 songs about what it means to be human. Two slightly different versions of the show were produced: one for theatres, and a shortened one more suited to a school audience. |
| Type Of Art | Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Impact | To date, the show has been performed 17 times to almost 700 people. Due to the pandemic, this is dramatically fewer than we were expecting at this stage, although one online performance was delivered. However, now that the songs and the show have been developed, we expect many more performances to be delivered over the next few years. Note that the STFC grant only covered development of the two songs for T & U, and it was always expected that the legacy of the grant would roll over into future years. |
| URL | https://ensonglopedia.com/ensonglopedia-of-the-human/ |
| Title | Ensonglopedia of the Human songs |
| Description | 26 songs were produced, one for each letter of the alphabet, for the musical theatre show "Ensonglopedia of the Human". All these songs have the aim of addressing the question "what does it mean to be human?". STFC funding specifically supported the development of the songs "T - Tools & Technology" and "U - Us and the Universe". |
| Type Of Art | Composition/Score |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Impact | To date, the show has been performed 17 times to almost 700 people. Due to the pandemic, this is dramatically fewer than we were expecting at this stage, although one online performance was delivered. However, now that the songs and the show have been developed, we expect many more performances to be delivered over the next few years. Note that the STFC grant only covered development of the two songs for T & U, and it was always expected that the legacy of the grant would roll over into future years. |
| URL | https://ensonglopedia.com/ensonglopedia-of-the-human/ |
| Title | Musical album for the Ensonglopedia of the Human show |
| Description | A 20-track audio album of songs from the "Ensonglopedia of the Human" show, released on CD, Spotify & other online streaming / download sites. |
| Type Of Art | Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Impact | A 20-track audio album of songs from the "Ensonglopedia of the Human" show, released on CD, Spotify & other online streaming / download sites. To date, there has been approximately 200 sales or listens of the album. |
| URL | https://ensonglopedia.com/video_audio/ |
| Title | Video/Animations from Ensonglopedia of the Human |
| Description | The following videos have been produced as part of this grant: - Two ten-minute webisodes were produced to introduce the show; - Twelve 3-minute music videos were produced; - One teaser trailer. Both webisodes were broadcast on the "Latest TV" television channel. |
| Type Of Art | Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Impact | The webisodes and music videos are all available on YouTube. To date, the total reach is ~24,000, over half of which comes from broadcasts of the webisodes on the "Latest TV" television channel. |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/ensonglopedia |
| Description | Ensonglopedia of the Human R&D, Arts Council Project Grant, code ACPG-00190297 |
| Amount | £13,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ACPG-00190297 |
| Organisation | Arts Council England |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 10/2019 |
| End | 07/2020 |
| Description | Ensonglopedia of the Human, Arts Council Project Grant, code ACPG-00311736 |
| Amount | £14,950 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ACPG-00311736 |
| Organisation | Arts Council England |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2020 |
| End | 01/2022 |
| Description | Ensonglopedia Partnerships |
| Organisation | University of Sussex |
| Department | Astronomy Centre |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | University of Sussex, Department of Physics & Astronomy: The lead partner, giving specialist advise to John Hinton of the Ensonglopedia musical theatre company to ensure technical accuracy of the Ensonglopedia of the Human song lyrics, especially Dr Darren Baskill of the University of Sussex. This builds on a long-standing partnership between the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Sussex and the Ensonglopedia musical theatre company, where we have incorporated STFC research and facilities into musical theatre shows and performed them to a wide variety of audiences, from schools to the general public. For the later, many of the public are attending for the arts performances, and may traditionally shy away from more science-based activities - thus, this partnership works really well at broadening the demographic of people who will learn about STFC science. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Guidance, advice and accuracy checks were provided by the University of Sussex in the development of the "Ensonglopedia of the Human" musical theatre show, to ensure that the performances are as scientifically accurate as they are entertaining. The show goes through the alphabet, and this grant specifically supported the development of two songs: T for "Tools & Technology" and U for "Us and the Universe". The songs incorporated the James Webb Space Telescope and the Large Hadron Collider (as "Tools and Technology"), both STFC funded facilities, as well as in the notes in the accompanying teacher pack. The songs explore how such STFC facilities allow us to investigate and explore - both key traits of being human. This latest grant supports the continuation of a partnership between performer John Hinton, the Ensonglopedia musical theatre company, and the University of Sussex, in a partnership that dates back to 2013 and the production of "Albert Einstein: Relativitively Speaking", part of trilogy of scientific biography musical comedy shows that also included Charles Darwin and Marie Curie. |
| Impact | Science musical theatre comedy shows produced as part of this partnership include: "Albert Einstein: Relativitively Speaking" "The Element in the Room..." about the life and work of Marie Curie "The Ensonglopedia of Science" "The Ensonglopedia of Space" "The Ensonglopedia of the Human" |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | After-school clubs at Ditchling Primary School |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | A series of ten after-school clubs at Ditchling Primary School, Sept-Dec 2020, exploring the themes of science, technology and space through theatre and songwriting (variable attendance due to Covid but about 12 kids on the register) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://ensonglopedia.com/ensonglopedia-of-the-human/ |
| Description | Ensonglopedia of the Human performance at Ormiston South Parade Primary Academy, Grimsby. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | The Ensonglopedia of the Human was performed at Ormiston South Parade Primary Academy, Grimsby, on 11th Jan '22, in front of an audience of about 120 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://ensonglopedia.com/ensonglopedia-of-the-human/ |
| Description | Performance of Ensonglopedia of the Human at Littlecoates Primary Academy, Grimsby, 12Jan22 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Ensonglopedia of the Human musical theatre show was performed at Littlecoates Primary Academy, Grimsby, on 12th Jan '22, in front of an audience of about 60. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://ensonglopedia.com/ensonglopedia-of-the-human/ |
| Description | Performances of the "Ensonglopedia of the Human" show. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This grant paid for the production of two songs as part of the "Ensonglopedia of the Human" musical theatre show: "Tools and Technology", and the "Universe", both of which included references to STFC science and facilities as part of the songs. These songs are sung to a live audience whenever the Ensonglopedia of the Human show is performed. This record refers to the performances of the "Ensonglopedia of the Human" show, during which one, or both, of the songs are performed. These songs are performed to both the general public at theatres and similar venues across the UK, and also performed in schools across the country. Since the songs that form the musical comedy theatre show "Ensonglopedia of the Human" were developed, they have been performed publicly on 25 occasions to a total audience of ~1500 people, of which ~500 were children under 16 years of age - these figures cover the period of summer 2020 through summer 2022, although the songs will continue to be performed at school and public events over the coming years (as of early March 2023, six more performances of the show are scheduled for the spring and summer of 2023). During the live performances, the two videos produced are displayed in the background. The videos can be seen on the Ensonglopedia YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/ensonglopedia |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022 |
| URL | https://ensonglopedia.com/ensonglopedia-of-the-human/ |
| Description | Tools & Technology song |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A song called Tools & Technology, part of the Ensonglopedia of the Human musical theatre show, was developed which included such tools as the Webb Space Telescope and Large Hadron Collider. To date, the song, and accompanying animation, has been performed to a live audience of about 400, an online video audience of 434 across YouTube and Facebook, and an audio streaming / CD audience of perhaps a hundred. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
| URL | https://ensonglopedia.com/ensonglopedia-of-the-human/ |
| Description | Us and the Universe song |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A song called Us & The Universe was written, connected to STFC research activities, and an accompanying animation produced, which to date has been performed to a live audience of about 400, and an online audience of 5138 across YouTube and Facebook (in addition to an audio streaming / CD audience of perhaps a hundred). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://ensonglopedia.com/ensonglopedia-of-the-human/ |