Written by Katrina Proctor, Content Manager at Midnight Music.
Introduction
On the Midnight Music blog recently, we’ve spent some time introducing you to AI tools like ChatGPT. We showed you 5 time-saving hacks using ChatGPT, and for those of you who are a little wary of AI, this is the optimistic outlook for you!
I often hear from teachers who are excited by the idea of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT to help offload some of their mundane tasks, but they don’t believe AI can work for them because the outputs AI tools like ChatGPT give them aren’t useable. They’re either too basic, too informal, written in a style that doesn’t reflect them, or the outputs don’t seem to capture what they truly want. This is where the art of AI prompting comes in. Customization and a little planning are critical to ensuring you get valuable results that you can actually use. However, crafting those effective prompts takes some upfront knowledge and skill… and you’re not alone – it rarely comes naturally!
In this blog post, I’ll cover some detailed instructions on crafting more engaging and effective AI prompts that match your unique role as a music teacher and better capture your unique voice. I’ll also share with you 5 sample prompts that are written poorly and show you how to correct them using more specific language and factual information! Let’s get started!
What is an AI Prompt?
Before we dig into how to craft effective AI prompts, let’s discuss the basics of what an AI prompt is and why it’s crucial for you as a music teacher.
An AI prompt is a short sentence or phrase that you start your conversation with to help guide the tool in giving you the desired output. It serves as an introduction to the topic or context of the conversation. For example, if you’re interested in asking your AI tool to help you write a parent email, you must establish that at the very beginning of the conversation.
If you don’t start with a prompt that identifies the context and topic you want ChatGPT to discuss, then it won’t be able to provide you with helpful output. That’s why effective AI prompting is so essential – it allows you to establish who you are and the information you need to get across right at the beginning.
Now, let’s look at how to create effective prompts for your music teaching needs!
The MUSICAL Way to Write Better ChatGPT and AI Prompts
M: Make It Clear
Provide clear instructions and guidelines for the AI tool about who you are and the intended outcome.
U: Understand the Audience
Establish the target audience – are you creating a witty social media prompt for your school social media, or are you writing a formal email to your school board? Tell the AI tool your intended audience.
S: Specify the Details
Include specific details such as important dates, times, names of events/people/places, or examples you want the AI tool to draw from. Don’t assume the AI tool knows anything about your project, and speak as if you’re telling an assistant what to do.
I: Inject Tone
In your AI prompt, you must tell the tool what tone to take in the response. Should it be hilarious? Informational? Formal? Written in the style of a Taylor Swift song?
Quick Tip: If you need help figuring out your tone of voice, start a new conversation with the AI tool, copy/paste an example of your writing into the box, and ask the AI tool to describe the tone of voice. You can also experiment with asking the tool to write the task in the style of a famous individual or with a particular emotion or style.
C: Complete Your Information
ChatGPT has a limit of 2,000 characters (around 500 words). The more information you can feed it in the prompt, the better your outcome will be. Try to give it enough specific detail up front.
A: Accuracy
If you don’t give the AI tool specific information, it will create its own out of thin air! Always check your inputs and outputs for accuracy, and never trust an AI tool to tell you the correct answer or fact.
L: Learn to Teach AI
If your tool doesn’t give you an excellent output, don’t automatically delete the response. Tell it to rewrite the output with some additional information or specific direction.
If your output is too formal, ask your AI tool to rewrite it with more levity. If it’s written in overly simplistic language, tell the tool to rewrite it for an older audience.
Improving Five Poor AI Prompt Examples
I’ve seen plenty of well-meaning music teachers make common mistakes when crafting their own AI prompts. It’s important to recognize these mistakes to avoid them in your own AI prompting.
The following are five examples of poorly written prompts:
- “Help me write a parent email”
- “Describe Chopin’s style”
- “What are some ideas for a sub plan for music exploration?”
- “Write a paragraph about the importance of music.”
- “Write a newsletter to my 8th-grade choir parents about an upcoming fundraiser.”
These prompts may seem simple enough, but they are missing crucial elements that will help the AI tool generate useful output for you. Instead, let’s use some of the tips listed above to write a better prompt.
Poor AI Prompt: “Help me write a parent email”
Improved: “I am a 7th grade band director. Help me in composing a concise and informative email to parents regarding the rescheduling of our concert due to unforeseen weather conditions. Please include details about the new date (November 11th), time (drop-off at 6pm, concert at 6:30pm), venue (ECMS Auditorium), and ask for volunteers to help oversee the bake sale table.”
Poor AI Prompt: “Describe Chopin’s style”
Improved: “Write a short analysis of Frédéric Chopin’s musical style that I can use in an upcoming lecture for my AP Music Theory high school students. Please highlight his preference for lyrical melodies and innovative piano techniques, such as his unique use of rubato in pieces like ‘Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op. 9, No. 2,’ and explain how his Polish heritage influenced his compositions.”
Poor AI Prompt: “What are some ideas for a sub plan for music exploration?”
Improved: “You are a music exploration teacher for 6th-8th grade. Right now, your students are learning about music from Mexico. Create a list of YouTube videos that a substitute teacher with no music experience could show to help students learn about the history of mariachi. Provide links to each video.”
Poor AI Prompt: “Write a paragraph about the importance of music.”
Improved: “As an outgoing and positive music teacher, craft a persuasive paragraph outlining the multifaceted importance of music education. Emphasize its role in enhancing cognitive development by referencing studies that show improved spatial-temporal skills in children who engage in musical training. Additionally, highlight its emotional impact, using examples like how learning to play an instrument can boost self-esteem and provide an outlet for self-expression and a sense of community. Use language that is easy to understand. Cite your sources.”
Poor AI Prompt: “Write a newsletter to my 8th-grade choir parents about an upcoming fundraiser.”
Improved: “As a choir director, compose a warm and engaging newsletter addressing the parents of the 8th-grade choir students to promote an upcoming fundraiser. Share specific details such as the purpose of the fundraiser (raising funds for a new digital piano), what students will be selling (cookie dough), and how
the new digital piano will positively impact the music department (ability to connect into the audio system for a better sound experience, ability to add unique voices for more exciting performances and to be used by the theater department for the Spring Musical). “
Final Thoughts
In the rapidly evolving landscape of AI, utilizing its potential in music instruction holds limitless possibilities. I hope the MUSICAL model above provides a helpful framework for music teachers like you in crafting more effective prompts for AI tools like ChatGPT. Whether it be writing parent emails, dissecting advanced techniques into more understandable language, crafting lesson plan ideas, or promoting events, AI can be a powerful assistant when guided thoughtfully and with enough information. As we continue to explore and adapt to the digital frontier of education, integrating AI into our teaching practice can undoubtedly enrich our classrooms and help us reclaim our time – all it takes is some practice!
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About the author
Katrina Proctor is the Content Manager at Midnight Music and is also a former music teacher from Colorado, USA. She taught middle school music for nearly 10 years in northern Colorado, where her passion is low-income students in Title 1 schools. Katrina has taught 5th-8th grade chorus, advanced-level chorus, class piano, general music, band, and orchestra. She has her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education & Master’s Degree in Music Education-Choral Conducting from the University of Colorado at Boulder. You can connect with Katrina on Facebook or via her website, She The Teacher.
Want more resources for music tech teachers?
Hello! I’m Katie Argyle – an Australian music technology trainer and consultant with a passion for helping music teachers through my business Midnight Music.
I’m a qualified teacher but no, I don’t currently teach in a school. I help teachers through my online professional development space – the Midnight Music Community – where there are tutorial videos, courses, links and downloadable resources.
I like to focus on easy ways to incorporate technology into what you are already doing in your music curriculum through a range of creative projects. I also run live workshops and have presented at countless conferences and other music education events.
If you want simple, effective ideas for using technology in music education, I would LOVE to help you inside the Midnight Music Community.
