You can't spell musical with "AI". But can you use it to help your child improve their music skills?
At Warwick Music, we are keeping our eyes peeled for the best ways that AI tools like ChatGPT can help to create more opportunities for musicians.
We have already taken a look at how AI is helping to teach children to play music, giving learners instant feedback using apps.
ChatGPT has caused a storm of interest, intrigue, and even controversy since it was made available to the public. For many parents, your knowledge of ChatGPT might extend to hearing about it in the news (or worrying about how your children might use it the next time they're set some homework!)
We realise that there are genuine concerns about how AI could affect the creation of music and its impact on education. We want to break down some of those barriers and show how engaging with this new technology can help young musicians to develop.
AI tools can also help non-musicians to ask questions and receive guidance. This is a powerful tool for parents who might be hearing about their child's progress on the trumpet but have no idea what embouchure is (some kind of French pastry, right?)
Let's dive in and try out ten ways that you can use ChatGPT to help the mini-musician in your life flourish!
Getting started with ChatGPT
First things first, a few simple tips if you have not used ChatGPT before.
ChatGPT is available in a free version, or a paid subscription which gives you priority access during busy periods. For most users, the free version will be just the ticket.
Head to the website, create an account, and you'll land on a window with a chat box like this:
In the box, you can ask ChatGPT whatever your heart desires; for example, "please please PLEASE tell me how I get my child to tidy their room."
This creates a conversation, which is where ChatGPT gets really smart, but more on that later. You can create multiple threads of chats. You may keep a thread running for maths homework help, while another could be used for scheduling or trying to find out the average weight of a female mountain lion (around 64 and 141 pounds or 29-64 kilograms, apparently).
One quick piece of advice: ChatGPT draws on a vast database of information, but this only runs up until September 2021. If you're after learning tips or helping your child with their homework about current events, you may be better off sticking to your search engine of choice.
How can I use ChatGPT to help my child learn to play a musical instrument?
The obvious place to start in this journey is to ask ChatGPT what it thinks the top ten prompts are. Here are the results:
There are some great suggestions here. Some focus on particular techniques, such as "How can I develop better rhythm and timing in my playing?" Others might seem more suitable for older, experienced musicians, such as "How can I overcome performance anxiety and play more confidently on stage?"
This is where the "chat" feature and building on the original prompt becomes really useful.
By digging into the detail and asking for answers that suit us, we can build on this information and get a tailored response. The more we continue this dialogue, the more refined the answer, as ChatGPT stores this information in the conversation. Remember, starting a new chat means that you're starting from scratch. For our first prompt, let's try one of these suggested questions above with some more detail:
1: I am a parent with no musical knowledge and looking to help my seven-year-old child with their music lessons. Can you suggest some resources or strategies for expanding my musical vocabulary?
This prompt will give you an idea of some learning strategies that may suit you. One tip is to use YouTube tutorials:
"Channels like MusicTheoryForGuitar, Rick Beato, and Adam Neely offer informative and engaging videos covering various music theory topics, instrument techniques, and music history."
There are also suggested books to read:
"Look for beginner-friendly music theory or instrument instruction books aimed at adults. Books like "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory" by Michael Miller or "The Essential Elements for Band" series can provide you with a solid foundation and explanations in a straightforward manner."
Remember, you can go further with the detail: if your child is learning how to play the recorder, ask for information about that instrument! Speaking of...
2: Can you suggest some good exercises for learning to play the recorder? It should be aimed at parents teaching a child who is seven years old.
Obviously, this prompt can be adapted for the instrument that your child is learning. Again, notice how being specific leads to answers that are tailored to what we need:
"Start by teaching the basic fingering positions for each note on the recorder. Practice covering and uncovering the finger holes one by one, starting from the bottom hole and working upwards. Repeat this exercise while saying the note names (e.g., "C, D, E, F, G") to reinforce the fingerings."
Some of these exercises may require more detail...but we can ask ChatGPT to do just that! This brings us to our next prompt...
3: Can you rephrase this for a non-musician?
Adding this to the conversation you are having with ChatGPT will simplify things. Here is the updated response:
As we can see, this takes general advice and makes it easier for a non-musician to understand. "Start from the bottom hole and gradually work your way up" is useful for children to follow. You will almost certainly still need some kind of visual guide, such as a book, video, or web page. But think of your ChatGPT answer as an insider feeding you tips through your earpiece, a script you can follow to help your child to learn.
4: Can you speak to me like a music teacher?
If your prompts are still not giving you the tone of response you want, try this simple question. It will help ChatGPT to frame your questions as a music teacher would. This is especially important as you keep your dialogue going, and is useful context for the AI whether you are musical or a notation novice.
5: Can you write me a chord progression in the key of C?
For parents who have more musical knowledge, we can test the capabilities of ChatGPT. Writing a simple chord progression could help you to demonstrate different ways of working with chords, and is a chance to practise improvisation if you are accompanying your child.
We are given a very simple progression: C - Am - F - G.
Again, you can push AI further. If you ask for the same progression with a more soulful feel, we get an even better response:
Now our chord progression is Cmaj7 - Am7 - Fmaj7 - G9.
We even get a look into the reasoning behind these choices, which is a great educational tool for your child to utilise.
6: What are the top ten songs for beginner ukulele players?
Finding inspiration for songs to learn is another area where we can use ChatGPT. In an example for ukulele players, we get a mixture of classics (Stand By Me and Somewhere Over the Rainbow) and modern hits (Riptide by Vance Joy and I'm Yours by Jason Mraz).
As with our other prompts, we also get some useful context:
"These songs are popular, have relatively simple chord progressions, and can be found with chord charts and tutorials online. They cover a range of genres, from pop and folk to reggae and classics. Start by practising the basic chords for each song and gradually work on strumming patterns and transitions between chords. Remember to have fun and enjoy the process of learning and playing the ukulele!"
If we wanted a selection of songs from musical theatre, or ukulele songs in the key of D, all we have to do is ask!
7: Can you give me the names and definitions of ten key musical terms that beginners should know?
This is a great prompt to preempt your child's developing musical vocabulary. You might want to use this for individual terms that crop up in your child's lessons, but preparing yourself with a cheat sheet of terms can be really useful.
For example, the definition of tempo is:
"The speed or pace at which a piece of music is performed. Terms like "fast" (presto), "moderate" (andante), or "slow" (largo) indicate specific tempo markings."
8: Can you write an example practice schedule for my child who is learning to play the trumpet?
If your child needs a little structure to encourage their practice, ChatGPT can help you put together a guideline to follow.
The response given in our example breaks the practice into different sections with a suggested time:
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Warm-up (5 minutes)
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Technique Practice (10 minutes)
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Etude or Piece Practice (15 minutes)
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Sight-reading (5 minutes)
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Fun Playtime (10 minutes)
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Review and Recap (5 minutes)
Each section has extra detail. For example, the ten minutes of "Fun Playtime" gives us this context:
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Allow your child to explore and play songs they enjoy or try improvising melodies.
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This helps nurture creativity and enjoyment of playing the instrument.
Of course, you could adapt this schedule to fit your child's need...or even ask ChatGPT to change things for you!
9: What can I do as a parent to keep my child motivated in music lessons?
Whatever your level of musical experience, motivation and support is something that you can offer your child as they learn to play an instrument. The answers will differ based on your previous interactions (if any) with ChatGPT. But they serve as a framework to help your child continue their musical journey.
10: How do I get my child to practise music quietly?
Is this the most important prompt of all? After all, there have been nine others designed for you to help your child get the most out of learning to play an instrument. It only seems fair that there might be times when you need a little peace and quiet.
From advising you to "Create a Soundproof or Insulated Practice Space" or "Explore Alternative Practice Activities," ChatGPT has you covered.
These are just ten examples of what you could ask ChatGPT to help your child learn to play music: the possibilities are almost limitless!
Remember that you'll still be restricted in some areas: you will still benefit from visual guides, and some opinions and advice offered could be biased. But the next time you are struggling to know how you can help your beginner budding musician, you have the option of AI to act as your guide!
Keep checking our blog for more ways that AI can help you start music smarter.
- Check out our blog on some of the top AI music-learning apps.
- Is reading music essential? Find out by checking out our article about whether your child should learn to read music.
