How should music teachers respond when artificial intelligence can generate melodies, rhythms, chord sequences, audio materials and even complete creative outputs? What opportunities does this create for young people's musical learning, and what new questions does it raise around assessment, authorship, originality and ethics? These are the questions at the heart of a new UCL Institute of Education project led by Dr Kate Laurence and Dr Ross Purves, funded through the IoE Mary Moon Fund.
The project has been developed in response to growing evidence that AI tools are already becoming part of the musical lives of young people, including within school-based composition work and potentially within assessed GCSE, A Level and BTEC coursework. While interest in AI has expanded rapidly, there remains relatively little music-specific guidance available to teachers seeking to navigate the opportunities and challenges presented by these technologies.
Rather than approaching AI purely as a technological development, the project focuses on classroom practice. Its aim is to develop teachers' knowledge, skills and understanding of AI in creative music education, while exploring related issues such as equity, intellectual property, accountability, traceability and responsible use. The intention is not to promote a particular approach to AI, but to support informed professional dialogue and help the sector develop evidence-informed practice.
The first stage of the project has involved a national questionnaire exploring how music teachers are currently encountering and using AI. The survey seeks to identify emerging classroom practices, understand how teachers are advising pupils, capture concerns and challenges, and gather examples of innovative work already taking place in schools. The response to the survey has been encouraging, demonstrating significant interest in the topic across the profession. However, the research team would still welcome additional contributions from secondary music teachers, particularly those with experience, observations or questions relating to AI and creative classroom practice. Responses can currently continue to be submitted at: https://qualtrics.ucl.ac.uk/jfe/form/SV_doPuAOmcFhjJXwi.
A major milestone in the project will take place on 12 November 2026, when UCL IOE hosts AI and Creative Music Making in Secondary Classrooms: Sharing Practice, Shaping the Future. The event will bring together teachers, teacher educators and AI specialists for a day of collaborative discussion, knowledge exchange and professional reflection. Participants will explore practical experiences of AI use in music classrooms, hear from expert speakers, and consider the wider creative, educational and ethical implications of machine learning technologies. The event will also provide opportunities to collect examples of practice, identify common concerns and discuss possible ways forward for the sector.
Central to the project is the belief that guidance in this area should emerge from dialogue between researchers and practitioners. The November event will therefore function not simply as a conference, but as a collaborative space in which classroom teachers' experiences are valued alongside academic expertise. Through this knowledge-exchange process, the project aims to ensure that future resources are grounded in the realities of music teaching and learning rather than in abstract technological debate.
Following the event, the project team hopes to work with participating teachers and expert colleagues to develop a practitioner-informed set of resources and guidance materials. These are expected to include examples of effective classroom practice, ethical considerations for schools, and pedagogical prompts that can help teachers engage pupils in critical discussion about AI, creativity and musical authorship. The materials are intended to be practical, adaptable and capable of evolving as technologies continue to develop.
A further strand of the project may involve follow-up visits to schools to observe emerging teaching and learning practice in this area.
Beyond the immediate outputs, the project is intended to contribute more broadly to teacher education and professional learning. Findings and resources may be embedded within the UCL Music PGCE programme, incorporated into mentor development materials, shared through teaching and learning case studies, disseminated through subject associations and professional networks, and potentially developed into future academic publications. There is also scope for the work to inform wider discussions within the music education sector, including conversations about assessment policy and the role of AI within creative coursework.
At a time when AI is prompting fundamental questions about creativity and education, the project seeks to ensure that the voices of teachers remain central to shaping future practice. By combining research, professional dialogue and practitioner expertise, it aims to help the music education community develop thoughtful, ethical and educationally meaningful approaches to AI in the secondary classroom.
