Performing is creating music. It's not AS creative as actually inventing the tune in the first place, but every performance involves some creative choice. That's why every performance is different, even with the same performer. It's why people pay money to listen to Artist A do a cover of a song by Artist B. And this is all why it's very sad that we don't gather around the piano and do mediocre renditions of music instead of sitting on our butts consuming the performance of some genius through our earbuds. Because when you perform it, however badly, you are participating in the creative act of making music, at least to some degree. You learn a lot more than you do just listening someone else's performance. Sousa was right. I'm sorry that era is gone.

In fact I'm doing exactly this with one of my big lecture courses this term. Instead of worrying that they're ripping off Wikipedia, I'm requiring them to do so - and either revise, or critique, the article, as they see fit. I dealt with the massive marking load problem by giving them a set of 10 possible articles to revise/critique, no more than 15 to sign up for each one. I'll suggest to the best of each group that they upload it. (Otherwise I'd have to do the equivalent of revising 150 articles myself in order to grade them, which I just can't do.)

My devious plan is to use involuntary labour to gradually revise all of Wikipedia and make it a more useful resource. If students are going to rip off Wikipedia articles, they might as well at least be good ones. :)