GENAI 101 - Module 1: Music

Music Module Introduction

Dive into sound creation, loop-based producing, beat making, and digital composition using GenAI tools. In this module you will learn how AI can amplify your musical creativity while you build the competencies that let you evaluate and guide it.

Video: Music Module Introduction. Four-minute overview of the four music artifacts, the competencies each builds, and how to listen critically. (Instructor: build with make_videos.py or record and embed your own.)

What you will make

Lesson	Artifact	Competencies
1.1 Composing an Original Song with GenAI	A 60 to 120 second song from your own lyrics	Prompt engineering, creativity and innovation
1.2 Beat Making and Loop-Based Production	A 16-bar beat built from patterns you sequenced	Computational thinking, collaboration
1.3 Scoring a Scene with AI-Generated Soundtracks	A scored 30 to 60 second scene with two contrasting cues	Problem solving, AI feedback evaluation
1.4 Voice, Ownership, and Ethics in AI Music	An attribution statement and a position paragraph on a real case	AI ethics literacy, AI feedback evaluation

Before you start

Complete the account setup for Suno and Soundtrap.
Put on headphones. Many differences you will be asked to hear (tempo drift, muddy low end, robotic vocal phrasing) are hard to notice on laptop speakers.
Keep a running document titled "Music Module Notes." Paste every prompt you use and one line about what it produced. You will need it for the module reflection.

A note on musicianship

Nothing in this module replaces what you know about melody, harmony, rhythm, and form. The tools are fast and often impressive, and they are also frequently wrong about the things a trained musician notices first. Your expertise is what turns a generation into a composition. Every lesson asks you to bring that expertise to bear.

Estimated time

Four to six hours across the four lessons. Each lesson takes 60 to 90 minutes including the gallery post and knowledge check.