PAT 463/563: Music and AI (Fall 2026)

   
Instructor Hao-Wen (Herman) 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 assignments and an open-ended project on a relevant topic of their choice. Prior coding experience is recommended.

This course counts towards the PAT Minor (Upper Level Elective), CS-Eng/DS-Eng (Flex Tech Elective), and MIDAS GDSC (Electives) programs.


Objectives


Schedule

Week Date Lecture Recording Assignment
1 Aug 31 Introduction  
    Background    
  Sep 2 AI & ML Fundamentals  
2 Sep 7 No Class (Labor Day)    
  Sep 9 AI & Music  
3 Sep 14 ├ Music Processing Fundamentals & PA 1   HW 1 due
  Sep 16 ├ Audio Processing Fundamentals    
4 Sep 21 ├ Audio Processing Fundamentals II & PA 2    
  Sep 23 ├ Machine Learning Fundamentals   PA 1 due
5 Sep 28 ├ Deep Learning Fundamentals I    
  Sep 30 └ Deep Learning Fundamentals II   PA 2 due
    Analysis    
6 Oct 5 ├ Source Separation    
  Oct 7 ├ Convolutional Neural Networks & PA 3   HW 2 due
7 Oct 12 ├ Music Analysis    
  Oct 14 └ Music Classification & PA 4   PA 3 due
8 Oct 19 No Class (Fall Study Break)    
    Creation    
  Oct 21 ├ Language-based Music Generation   HW 3 due
9 Oct 26 ├ Piano Roll-based Music Generation    
  Oct 28 ├ Audio-domain Music Generation   PA 4 due
10 Nov 2 └ Latent-based Music Generation    
  Nov 4 Project Pitch   HW 4 due
    Retrieval & Processing    
11 Nov 9 ├ Music Production & Editing    
  Nov 11 └ Music Search & Recommendation   PA 5 due
12 Nov 16 Buffer    
  Nov 18 Discussions    
13 Nov 23 Challenges & Opportunities    
  Nov 25 No Class (Thanksgiving)    
14 Nov 30 Project Consultation    
  Dec 2 Project Presentation    
15 Dec 7 No Class (Travel)    
  Dec 9 No Class (Travel)    

All slides are licensed under CC BY 4.0.


Assignments

Homework Due
HW 1: Real or Fake!? Sep 14
HW 2: Source Separation TBD
HW 3: AI Song Contest 2026 TBD
HW 4: AI Music Tools TBD
Programming Assignment Due
PA 1: Symbolic Music Processing TBD
PA 2: Spectral Analysis TBD
PA 3: Source Separation TBD
PA 4: Musical Note Classification TBD
PA 5: Automatic Music Instrumentation TBD

Project

Milestone Due
Pitch Nov 4
Presentation Dec 2
Report Dec 11

Grading

All grading and regrade requests will be handled on Gradescope.

   
Homework 20%
Programming assignments 50%
Project 30%

The final grading scale is as follows.

                   
A+ 97+ 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.


Hosted on GitHub Pages. Powered by Jekyll. Theme adapted from minimal by orderedlist.