Music, AI, and the power of human connection
Photographer: Phil Conrad
Music is more than notes – it’s the people we make them with
(2 minute read)
Over the past year, the headlines have been hard to miss: AI can compose symphonies, play Chopin études, even improvise jazz solos. Exciting? Yes. A bit unsettling? Also yes. As a teacher and player, I welcome good tools. AI can be a brilliant practice partner – a backing band on demand, a sight-reading trainer, a way to try sounds you might not otherwise access. In that sense, it’s like a super-charged metronome: clever, useful, sometimes inspiring.
What AI can’t do
Music has never been just about hitting the right notes. It’s about expression. It’s about listening and responding, making mistakes together, and finding joy in the conversation between players. That’s something no algorithm can replace.
When I sit at the piano with a student – whether they’re 8 or 80 – the real magic isn’t the scale we nailed or the chord we memorised. It’s the shared laugh when a rhythm goes sideways, the spark when someone improvises for the first time, the quiet moment when music says something words can’t. Those are human moments. They’re not downloadable.
Music is about feeling
AI might help us learn faster. Only human connection helps us feel deeper. And music, at its heart, is a feeling.
So my job as a teacher isn’t just to pass on knowledge. It’s to create an environment where students feel safe to explore, curious enough to try, and free enough to make the music their own. Technology can assist – but people bring the soul.
Looking ahead
We’ll see more AI in music education. I’ll use some of it myself. But the reason I love teaching – and the reason people will keep coming to lessons – is because music is about being together. Conversation, creativity, courage, community.
And that’s something no machine will ever replace.
If this resonates with you, and you’d like to experience that human connection through music, find out more about my student-led piano lessons. Or, if you’d like to hear more about my own path and philosophy, visit my About me page.
