No Backup, But Restore

Some creative works—including film, theatrical productions, and even novels—fail at the first go, but are then reworked in new ways months, years, or even decades later, in hopes that they can find that missing spark. Consider the musical Ragtime as an example of this kind of rebuilding project, then explore the selections below. In which cases did the new version of a project succeed where the first hadn’t? Should the early incarnations of a piece be studied alongside those that succeeded later, or left in the dustbin of history?
- Ragtime | “Wheels of a Dream” (1998) vs. “Wheels of a Dream” (2009)
- Martin Guerre | “I Will Make You Proud” (1994) vs. “Justice Will Be Done” (1999)
- Mulan | “Reflection” vs “Written in Stone” (1998)
- Alanis Morissette | “Ironic” (1995) vs “Ironic” (2015)
- K.D. Lang | “Surrender” (1997) vs. Sheryl Crow | "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997)
- Billy Joel | “We Didn’t Start The Fire” (1989) vs Fall Out Boy | “We Didn’t Start the Fire” (2023)
“Liberally mix major and minor scales and lydian mode,” one blogger advises anyone on a (five-or-more-minute) mission to write music with a science fiction flavor. What do these terms mean, and Is there such a thing as a “future” riff—a musical shortcut that helps to set a time and place, but in this case for a time and place that haven’t happened yet? Be sure to consider the song “A TV Show Called Earth” and to discuss with your team: does the songwriter choose to make it sound alien or futuristic—and, if so, how?
Blocks fall from above in various configurations as this iconic music plays: the Japanese composer Hirokazu Tanaka’s original soundtrack for Tetris is a classic of the genre. Discuss with your team: should we be creating more of this chiptune music today? Continue your exploration of the history of video game music, then discuss with your team: is video game music a legitimate form of art? And would music, and literature and art in general, benefit from more limitations such as those imposed by low-powered processors and audio capabilities on early video games—or from fewer?
Some people’s fingers whirl across the screen tapping and flicking with uncanny efficiency; others hesitate, or aim and miss, or fire at things that aren’t there. Rhythm games are a great source of entertainment, but they can also help people with injuries—or even brain damage—rebuild their motor and mental skills. Consider their broader history of rhythm games, learn more about (and hopefully play!) the examples below, and then discuss with your team: how could rhythm games be used in schools for educational purposes? What kind of rhythm game would you design if you wanted to create a popular product? And could rhythm games be changing how future music is composed and appreciated?
- Osu | Beat Saber | Dance Dance Revolution | Guitar Hero | maimai
- Beatmania | Deemo | Just Dance | Tap Tap Revenge

Some creative works—including movies, stage shows, and even novels—do not succeed when they first come out. But later, people change them and try again, maybe months, years, or even decades later. They hope to find the part that was missing before. The musical Ragtime is an example of this kind of project, where something is rebuilt to work better.
Look at the examples below. In which ones did the new version succeed where the first one failed? Should we still study the first version of a work, or just focus on the version that finally worked?
- Ragtime | “Wheels of a Dream” (1998) vs. “Wheels of a Dream” (2009)
- Martin Guerre | “I Will Make You Proud” (1994) vs. “Justice Will Be Done” (1999)
- Mulan | “Reflection” vs “Written in Stone” (1998)
- Alanis Morissette | “Ironic” (1995) vs “Ironic” (2015)
- K.D. Lang | “Surrender” (1997) vs. Sheryl Crow | "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997)
- Billy Joel | “We Didn’t Start The Fire” (1989) vs Fall Out Boy | “We Didn’t Start the Fire” (2023)
“Mix major and minor scales and something called the lydian mode,” one music blogger suggests to anyone trying to write music that sounds like science fiction. What do these words mean? And is there such a thing as a “future” riff—a musical idea that helps the listener imagine a time and place that hasn’t happened yet?
Think about the song “A TV Show Called Earth.” Does it sound strange or futuristic to you? If yes, how does the songwriter make it sound that way? Talk with your team about what makes music feel like it belongs to the future.
Blocks fall from the top of the screen in different shapes while this well-known music plays: the Japanese composer Hirokazu Tanaka wrote the original soundtrack for Tetris, and it became a classic example of a style called chiptune music.
Talk with your team: should musicians make more music like this today? Keep exploring the history of video game music, and then discuss with your team: is video game music a real and serious kind of art? Would music, literature, and art be better if creators had more limits (like early video games did), or fewer?
Some people’s fingers move quickly across the screen, tapping and swiping with amazing skill. Others hesitate, miss the beats, or tap the wrong place. Rhythm games are fun—but they can also help people with injuries or brain problems rebuild their body control and thinking skills.
Learn more about the history of rhythm games. Try playing some of the examples below. Then talk with your team: how could rhythm games be used in schools to help students learn? What kind of rhythm game would you create to make it both fun and popular? And do you think rhythm games are changing how music is made and enjoyed?
- Osu | Beat Saber | Dance Dance Revolution | Guitar Hero | maimai
- Beatmania | Deemo | Just Dance | Tap Tap Revenge

Some creative works—like movies, musicals, and books—don’t do well the first time. But later, people try again. They change the work and hope it becomes better. This can happen months, years, or even many years later. The musical Ragtime is one example of this kind of second try.
Look at the examples below. In which ones did the new version do better than the first one? Should we learn about the first version too, or just the one that worked?
- Ragtime | “Wheels of a Dream” (1998) vs. “Wheels of a Dream” (2009)
- Martin Guerre | “I Will Make You Proud” (1994) vs. “Justice Will Be Done” (1999)
- Mulan | “Reflection” vs “Written in Stone” (1998)
- Alanis Morissette | “Ironic” (1995) vs “Ironic” (2015)
- K.D. Lang | “Surrender” (1997) vs. Sheryl Crow | "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997)
- Billy Joel | “We Didn’t Start The Fire” (1989) vs Fall Out Boy | “We Didn’t Start the Fire” (2023)
A music blogger says: “Mix major and minor scales and the lydian mode” to make music that sounds like science fiction. What do these words mean? Can music sound like the future?
Listen to “A TV Show Called Earth.” Does it sound strange or futuristic? Talk with your team: how does the songwriter make it sound that way?
In the game Tetris, blocks fall down while music plays. The music was made by Japanese composer Hirokazu Tanaka. It is called chiptune music, and it uses old computer sounds. This music is now very famous.
Talk with your team: should more people make music like this today? Then learn more about the history of video game music and talk together: is video game music a real kind of art? Is it good to have limits, like in old games? Or is it better to have no limits at all?
In rhythm games, some people move their fingers quickly. Others miss the beat or tap the wrong thing. These games are fun—but they can also help people who are hurt or sick to move better and think better again.
Learn more about rhythm games. Try playing the games below. Then talk with your team: can rhythm games help students in school? What kind of rhythm game would you make? And do rhythm games change the way people make and enjoy music?
- Osu | Beat Saber | Dance Dance Revolution | Guitar Hero | maimai
- Beatmania | Deemo | Just Dance | Tap Tap Revenge

一些创意作品——包括电影、戏剧作品，甚至小说——在第一次推出时失败了，但之后经过几个月、几年，甚至几十年的重新制作，希望能够找到那一丝缺失的火花。以音乐剧《Ragtime》（拉格泰姆）为例，它就是这种重建项目的一种。然后请探索下面这些作品。在哪些情况下，新版本比原始版本更成功？早期的版本是否应该和成功的新版一起学习，还是应该被遗忘在历史的垃圾堆中？
- Ragtime | “Wheels of a Dream 梦想之轮” (1998) vs. “Wheels of a Dream 梦想之轮” (2009)
- Martin Guerre | “I Will Make You Proud 我会让你骄傲” (1994) vs. “Justice Will Be Done 正义将实现” (1999)
- Mulan | “Reflection 倒影” vs “Written in Stone 刻在石头上” (1998)
- Alanis Morissette | “Ironic 讽刺” (1995) vs “Ironic 讽刺” (2015)
- K.D. Lang | “Surrender 投降” (1997) vs. Sheryl Crow | "Tomorrow Never Dies 明日帝国" (1997)
- Billy Joel | “We Didn’t Start The Fire 火不是我们点的” (1989) vs Fall Out Boy | “We Didn’t Start the Fire 火不是我们点的” (2023)
“一定要大胆地混合大调、小调，还有Lydian调式，”一位博主这样建议任何想写出带有科幻风格音乐的人。这些词是什么意思？真的存在所谓的“未来”节奏吗——一种可以快速让人联想到一个时间和地点的音乐技巧，不过这个时间和地点还没有真正发生？
一定要听听歌曲《A TV Show Called Earth 一档叫地球的电视节目》，然后与团队讨论：创作者有没有让它听起来像是外星的或未来的？如果有，是怎么做到的？
方块从屏幕上方不断掉落，组成不同的形状，伴随着标志性的音乐：日本作曲家田中宏和为《俄罗斯方块》创作的原始配乐是这一音乐风格的经典之作。请与你的团队讨论：我们今天是否应该创作更多这种“芯片音乐”（chiptune）？继续探索电子游戏音乐的历史，然后再讨论：电子游戏音乐是否是一种真正的艺术形式？而音乐、文学和艺术本身是否应该像早期电子游戏一样受到技术限制，或者应该尽可能没有限制？
有些人玩节奏游戏时，手指在屏幕上飞快敲击滑动，动作精确无比；而有些人犹豫不决，瞄不准，或者点错地方。节奏游戏不仅有趣，它们也可以帮助有受伤或脑部损伤的人重新训练他们的身体和大脑能力。
了解节奏游戏的历史，尝试玩下面的游戏，然后与你的团队讨论：节奏游戏可以怎样在学校中帮助学生学习？如果你要设计一款热门的节奏游戏，它会是什么样的？节奏游戏是否正在改变未来音乐的创作方式和欣赏方式？
- Osu | Beat Saber | 跳舞革命 Dance Dance Revolution | 吉他英雄 Guitar Hero | maimai
- Beatmania | Deemo | Just Dance | Tap Tap Revenge