PAT 463/563: Music and AI (Fall 2025)

   
Instructor Hao-Wen Dong (ude.hcimu@gnodwh)
Room Moore 376 (Davis) or Zoom
Days & times 1:30–3pm, Mondays & Wednesdays
Office hours By appointment

[Gradescope] [Last year’s course website]


Description

An introduction to the emerging field of AI music. This course introduces students to AI’s applications in music from analysis, creation, retrieval to processing. Example topics include music transcription, optical music recognition, music source separation, automatic music composition, music synthesis, music recommendation and auto-mixing. Students will gain hands-on experience on using AI tools through open-ended assignments and a final project on a relevant topic of their choice. Prior coding experience is recommended.


Objectives


Schedule

Week Date Lecture Recording Assignment
1 Aug 25 Introduction  
    Background    
  Aug 27 AI & ML Fundamentals  
2 Sep 1 No Class (Labor Day)    
  Sep 3 AI & Music  
3 Sep 8 ├ Music Processing Fundamentals & PA 1 Walkthrough   HW 1 due
  Sep 10 ├ Audio Processing Fundamentals & PA 2 Walkthrough    
4 Sep 15 ├ Deep Learning Fundamentals   PA 1 due
  Sep 17 └ Deep Learning Fundamentals II    
5 Sep 22 No Class (Travel)    
  Sep 24 No Class (Travel)    
    Analysis    
6 Sep 29 ├ Music Analysis   PA 2 due
  Oct 1 ├ Convolutional Neural Networks    
7 Oct 6 ├ Source Separation & PA 3 Walkthrough   HW 2 due
  Oct 8 ├ Deep learning fundamentals III    
8 Oct 13 No Class (Fall Study Break)    
  Oct 15 └ Music Classification & PA 4 Walkthrough    
9 Oct 20 Buffer   PA 3 due
    Creation    
  Oct 22 ├ Language-based Music Generation    
10 Oct 27 ├ Pianoroll-based Music Generation   HW 3 due
  Oct 29 ├ Audio-domain Music Generation    
11 Nov 3 └ Latent-based Music Generation   PA 4 due
  Nov 5 Project pitch    
    Retrieval & Processing    
12 Nov 10 ├ Music Search & Recommendation    
  Nov 12 └ Music Production & Editing    
13 Nov 17 Buffer   HW 4 due
  Nov 19 Discussion    
14 Nov 24 Discussion    
  Nov 26 No Class (Thanksgiving)    
15 Dec 1 Final Presentation    
  Dec 3 No Class (Travel)    
16 Dec 8 No Class (Travel)    

Assignments

Assignment Content Due
HW 1 Real or Fake!? Sep 8
HW 2 Stem Separation & Beat Tracking TBD
HW 3 Music Generation TBD
HW 4 AI Song Contest TBD
PA 1 Symbolic Music Processing TBD
PA 2 Spectral Analysis TBD
PA 3 Source Separation TBD
PA 4 Musical Note Classification TBD

Project

Milestone Due
Group forming Oct 27
Pitch Nov 5
Video presentation Dec 15
Report Dec 15

Grading

All grading and regrade requests will be handled on Gradescope.

The final grading scale is as follows.

                   
A+ >96 B+ 87–89 C+ 77–79 D+ 67–69 F <60
A 93–96 B 83–86 C 73–76 D 63–66    
A− 90–92 B− 80–82 C− 70–72 D− 60–62    

Computing Resources


Optional Reading


Policies

Attendance & Course Recordings

Generative AI Usage

Plagiarism & Academic Misconduct

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities/Disability Statement

The University of Michigan recognizes disability as an integral part of diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive and equitable educational environment for students with disabilities. Students who are experiencing a disability-related barrier should contact Services for Students with Disabilities ((734) 763-3000 or ssdoffice@umich.edu). For students who are connected with SSD, accommodation requests can be made in Accommodate. If you have any questions or concerns please contact your SSD Coordinator or visit SSD’s Current Student webpage. SSD considers aspects of the course design, course learning objects and the individual academic and course barriers experienced by the student. Further conversation with SSD, instructors, and the student may be warranted to ensure an accessible course experience.

Sexual Misconduct Policy

Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, which includes sexual misconduct — including harassment, domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. We understand that sexual violence can undermine students’ academic success and we encourage anyone dealing with sexual misconduct to talk to someone about their experience, so they can get the support they need. Confidential support and academic advocacy can be found with the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center (SAPAC) on their 24-hour crisis line at (734) 936-3333. Alleged violations can be non-confidentially reported to the Office for Institutional Equity (OIE).

Mental Health and Well-Being

Students may experience stressors that can impact both their academic experience and their personal well-being. These may include academic pressure and challenges associated with relationships, mental health, alcohol or other drugs, identities, finances, etc. If you are experiencing concerns, seeking help is a courageous thing to do for yourself and those who care about you. If the source of your stressors is academic, please contact me so that we can find solutions together. For personal concerns, U-M offers many resources, some of which are listed at Resources for Students on the Well-being Collective website. You can also search for additional resources on that website.


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