Harmonizing Tradition with Technology: A Musical Journey into AI
Evelyn Orman & Sabri Gokmen
Music Education, Gen AI, Bias
Evelyn Orman
Evelyn Orman’s journey begins in a household where technology and music harmoniously coexisted. Growing up with her father working at NASA—just 18 months before a critical shuttle tragedy—Evelyn was immersed in an environment that celebrated early computer innovations and the pioneering spirit of technology. This rich background laid the foundation for her musical passions. At the age of 13, she first picked up the saxophone, and her love for music deepened during her studies in Bordeaux, France, where she was exposed to a diverse tapestry of musical traditions. Over the years, Evelyn fused these experiences, gradually carving a unique niche in music technology. Today, her work blends traditional musical expression with modern digital innovations, as she explores immersive virtual reality in music teaching and other cutting-edge approaches to education.
Encountering AI: A Spark and a Challenge
Evelyn’s initial encounter with artificial intelligence was nothing short of revelatory. Confronted with platforms like ChatGPT, she was immediately struck by their incredible speed and the vast amount of information they could generate in seconds. Her curiosity was ignited—questions like “What is it, and how does it work?” began to surface. Reflecting on the early days of computing, when programming involved laboriously entering endless strings of 0s and 1s, she saw in modern AI a transformative power similar to that of early operating systems. Although fascinated, she quickly understood that the capabilities of AI came paired with significant challenges. The rapid pace of AI’s development and its ability to process information is impressive, but so are its limitations—particularly its reliance on data repositories that can harbor biases and inaccuracies. In response, Evelyn chose to use AI primarily as a curator of ideas, carefully reviewing its outputs to ensure that only verified and contextually accurate information informed her creative process.
Navigating Bias and Regional Disparities
Deepening her exploration of AI, Evelyn discovered that the technology is far from impartial. By testing identical search queries across different regions—China, Hong Kong, India, the USA, and Brazil—she observed stark variations in the results. In China, where digital restrictions are stringent, the outputs differed markedly compared to those in more open societies. These experiences underscored her belief that both traditional search engines and advanced AI platforms, such as ChatGPT, are shaped by the cultural, political, and local norms inherent in their data sources. Evelyn’s insights emphasize that AI mirrors the biases of its datasets, and therefore its outputs require careful curation to ensure authenticity and reliability in any creative endeavor.
Revolutionizing Music Education
Evelyn envisions a future in music education that embraces AI as a collaborative, dynamic tool while staying rooted in traditional pedagogical values. Drawing on Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences—which highlights not only logical and academic skills but also spatial, physical, emotional, and musical abilities—she champions an educational model that addresses the full spectrum of human development. Modern classrooms, she notes, must evolve to nurture all these intelligences. Today’s children, often interacting with technology as if it were alive, offer educators a unique challenge: to integrate AI in a way that is engaging, supportive, and true to the creative spirit of music.
In innovative K–12 programs, AI is already being deployed to craft lesson plans, generate worksheets, and even design interactive tests. Evelyn recalls projects where students took a two-minute classical piece and transformed it into an animated narrative, merging traditional music with the digital art of storytelling. Such initiatives not only make learning more engaging but also encourage a blending of analytical and creative thinking. However, as educators experiment with AI, Evelyn stresses the need for a cautious and structured approach. For instance, she outlines several key guidelines: AI-generated material should not be used on assignments unless explicitly permitted; the prompts provided by AI typically offer only 70–80% accuracy and therefore require thorough review for bias and reliability; and finally, AI should be used to spark ideas and provide creative starting points, rather than serving as a final solution.
Embracing Change with Caution and Curiosity
For Evelyn, technology is a tool that, when used with care, can profoundly enrich artistic expression. She continuously experiments with AI to explore its creative potential while remaining mindful of its limitations, especially the biases inherent in its data sources. By personally collecting and verifying digital content, Evelyn ensures that the information she uses is both accurate and contextually relevant. She believes AI is best employed as a generator of ideas rather than as a substitute for human creativity, following strict guidelines—using AI-generated prompts only when allowed, recognizing their partial accuracy, and emphasizing the need for thorough review and editing. Her pragmatic approach invites educators and students alike to harness the transformative power of technology while preserving the essential human touch that makes music education vibrant and dynamic.