The essay below, by 12th grader Benedikt Winzer, discusses his
experiences with an AI-based music-composing system called AIVA.  You
can access AIVA at https://www.aiva.ai/

Reposted here with permission.

-- Dave

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Have you heard of AIVA? Just like Beethoven or Mozart, AIVA is a
composer. But she isn't alive, and she definitely does not have a
brain like the two. She doesn't sit down for hours on end, thinking
about the harmonies that would make for a beautiful cadence or
progression. In fact, she composes minutes of music in mere
milliseconds. AIVA uses artificial intelligence.

I was introduced to this odd composer when tasked with researching the
influence of artificial intelligence in a particular field in
computers class. I headed right for music because, being a musician
myself, I was curious what ones and zeros were able to accomplish in
composition.  After some research, I came across AIVA. To my surprise,
I found that this mighty machine composes traditional classical music,
modern film scores, and everything in between.

Before researching any more, I had to take a listen to her work to see
if the musician in me could get behind the idea. I listened to her new
album at the time, "Genesis". Was it good? I can't say that it was as
moving as a Tchaikovsky serenade, but the chord progressions all made
sense. The problem: there was absolutely no meaning behind it. In a
Beethoven or Mozart symphony, every note and rest is put in place in
order to convey a certain message. I couldn't see the message in
AIVA's music.

Although I was amazed that AIVA could create pretty decent music, it
brought up some unsettling questions. Is it possible for artificial
intelligence to create meaningful music, music with a soul? Or will
AIVA and others like her always simply put the right chord
progressions in the right places and call it a day? I cannot imagine a
world where one of the arts, a way we express ourselves, is completely
replaced by computers.

But what if we could work together instead? For many years, I couldn't
help but wonder how artists like Drake and Travis Scott used nothing
but a laptop and a set of speakers to create catchy drum patterns and
amazing melodies that made your head rock just by tuning in. After
hearing "Genesis", I knew it was time to team up with my HP laptop to
find out and make music like that myself. With my knowledge of music
theory, it couldn't be that hard, right?  Wrong. It was a whole new
world. My first beat was a combination of horrible sounds, a
lackluster melody, and a cluttered drum pattern. But I kept going at
it. Countless hours of trial and error and listening to various beats
transformed my music. Every beat was better than the last. After
listening to all of the music I posted on my YouTube channel, I could
not believe the transformation that came with one year's worth of hard
work. Making beats has taught me that oftentimes simple is better. And
now I can finally make music that I can rock my head to. Thank you
AIVA.

Benedikt Winzer
Grade 12
Academy of Allied Health and Sciences
Neptune, NJ