087: Using AI Ethically and Effectively with Omar Roy

Omar Roy brings a thoughtful and balanced perspective to the intersection of piano pedagogy and artificial intelligence. As a professor, clinician, and leader in music education, Omar has been helping teachers navigate the challenges and opportunities of AI. In this episode, he shares practical ways piano teachers can use AI for scheduling and communication, principles for ethical use, and why human creativity remains irreplaceable in both teaching and learning.

1. Omar shared his background as a piano professor and pedagogy coordinator at the University of South Carolina.
2. How AI has been present in daily life for decades, from predictive text to Netflix suggestions.
3. The importance of distinguishing generative AI like ChatGPT from earlier forms of AI.
4. Ethical concerns around AI, including plagiarism, environmental impact, and job displacement.
5. Why teachers should verify AI outputs, as hallucinations and false citations still occur.
6. How piano teachers can use AI for administrative tasks like scheduling, emails, and social media.
7. Use of AI in brainstorming, refining ideas, and drafting documents, while stressing human revision.
8. Omar explained principles of good prompting: specificity, clarity, rewording, and revising responses.
9. How AI can act as a research assistant, uncovering resources teachers may not know exist.
10. The importance of citing AI use and avoiding misrepresentation of AI-generated work.
11. Why students and teachers must be taught ethical guidelines for AI use in academic and music settings.
12. The risks of overreliance on technology, including reduced attention spans and weaker writing skills.
13. The benefits of piano study as a counterbalance, fostering discipline, creativity, and accountability.
14. He encouraged teachers to embrace AI as a tool while maintaining human creativity and personal connection at the center.

Today's Guest

Omar Roy currently serves as Assistant Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy and Coordinator of Group Piano in the School of Music at the University of South Carolina. A strong supporter of independent music teachers, Dr. Roy is in demand as a clinician. He frequently presents workshops and guest lectures to music teacher organizations and universities, and is a regular adjudicator for festivals and competitions. His involvement with music teachers organizations has led to leadership positions and presentations at the state and national level, including the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy. Dr. Roy is also part of the administrative team for The Art of Piano Pedagogy – a growing Facebook group that acts as a resource and forum of discussion that reaches nearly 23,000 teachers located throughout the world – and its companion site, Sustain.

About Rachel Ehring

Dr. Rachel Ehring is a pianist, teacher, music administrator, and lover of piano teaching gadgets. She holds a DMA in Collaborative Piano from the University of Colorado Boulder and a MM in Accompanying from the University of Kansas. She currently serves as Director at St. John’s Conservatory of the Arts in Orange County, CA. Previously, she held positions at Concordia University Irvine and Henderson State University. Rachel is passionate about empowering music teachers to create engaging and exciting lessons for students of all ages. When she isn’t playing the piano, you might find Rachel reading books with her son or walking her beagle Frieda.

1. Visit her website at RachelEhring.com
2. Visit her Instagram page: @rachelehring
3. Visit her YouTube channel: @dreamlavendermusic6694
4. Visit her Etsy shop at Dream Lavender Music

Thank you for tuning in!

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