Concert Programming with Artificial Intelligence

Concert Programming with Artificial Intelligence
By Austin Jay
Band & Orchestra Manager
Educational Representative
Palen Music Center - Columbia, MO

Greetings and welcome back! I hope everyone had an incredible holiday break filled with family, relaxation, and anything and everything other than your job! As music teachers, we pour ourselves into our work because we love our medium, sharing music with others, and helping our students grow. But, as someone much wiser than me once said, you can’t pour from an empty cup. For the sake of your personal health, the longevity of your career, and refilling your cup to provide the best possible education for your students when you return, I hope you truly took advantage of your time away. It is okay to prioritize YOU! Everyone in your life will benefit from you being your best.

With that, assuming your cup is practically frothing over and ready to be poured into your next project, I want to talk about concert programming! Contest season is right around the corner, spring concerts will be here sooner than we think, and it’s good to be prepared and have an idea of what music you and your students will experience this semester.

In my travels working with directors from all over the state, I have found a wide range of emotions when it comes to picking new pieces of music. Some have a very clinical, standards-driven approach. Some have an artistic approach, selecting pieces based on what they want their students to feel while performing. Others pick a grade level and put JW Pepper on a proverbial dart board, close their eyes, and let the universe decide!  

For some, selecting new music is a fun, joyful project. For others, it is an anxiety-ridden chore. I get it, and I have experienced both sides! There is so much to consider: your students’ abilities, instrumentation, performance venue, audience, educational merit, the musical experience of your students, personal enjoyment—the list goes on and on.

It is exciting! So much music to share and so little time to rehearse. I want my students to know how amazing, diverse, and powerful music from all over the world and every time period can be! And it is scary! I have to commit to these three pieces for the next few months and hope they have a positive impact on every student at every level? AND we will be adjudicated at the end of our efforts, with our results shared publicly?  

Regardless of which side of the coin you land on (and maybe you bounce between the two depending on the day!), it is A LOT! Literature selections ultimately drive your program. And being the good director that you are, you want to do a good job and pick great music - for your kids, for your program, and for yourself.

All that to say: why not take some of the guesswork out of this process? Why not outsource this to a personal assistant who can narrow down the ocean of repertoire to fit the needs of your ensemble? Enter ChatGPT!

Using ChatGPT, you can give specific prompts based on the grade level of music you're looking for, specific instrumentation, and even the strengths and weaknesses of your group. It will then compile a list of suggested pieces based on your prompt! Instead of spending hours scrolling through your favorite music distributor’s website, have AI do the grunt work for you to narrow down your options!

Below are some examples of different prompts and responses:

I’m sure you can see the possibilities! You are still the one making the final musical decisions, but this tool can help speed up the process and narrow down your options. Especially if you’re someone who has no idea where to start, this is going to be a huge help! In the end, I would say trust yourself and the musical decisions you make. No piece is ever set in stone, so if nothing else, give that piece you're not sure about a try! More often than not, your students will surprise you :)

Hope this helps! Happy programming!