Suno, An AI-Powered Music Tool

Suno, An AI-Powered Music Tool

In today’s episode, we'll explore Suno, an AI-powered tool that allows users to create songs through text and audio prompts. Visit AVID Open Access to learn more.

Transcript

Paul Beckermann 0:00 Welcome to Tech Talk for Teachers. I'm your host, Paul Beckermann.

Transition Music with Rena's Children 0:05 Check it out. Check it out. Check it out. What's in the toolkit? Check it out.

Paul Beckermann 0:16 The topic of today's episode is Suno, an AI-powered music tool. While generative AI tools that produce text, images, and videos tend to get most of the attention in the media, AI audio generation is quickly developing as well. Suno is one of the current leaders in this area, and it's evolved significantly in the past year.

So what is it and how does it work? In short, Suno is an AI music generation tool. You can access it on the web at suno.com or by downloading the phone app. On both platforms, users can generate fully produced songs that sound very professional. The songs can be instrumental only or complete with music and vocals.

There are three plan tiers: free, pro, and Premier. Currently, the free plan lets you create 10 songs per day using standard features of the older version of Suno, and the generated songs cannot be used commercially. For most school applications, the free version should be enough. For this episode, I'm going to limit myself to the free plan, which is what most classrooms would probably end up using.

First of all, you have to set up an account to use Suno. Users must be at least 13 years of age, and anyone under 18 must also have parental permission. That means it's restricted to secondary students, and even then, you need the appropriate permissions from parents. Of course, before using any program that requires an account, make sure to check with all relevant guidelines and permission requirements for use that includes school, state, and federal.

Once you've signed up, you can then begin to explore the two main modes, simple and custom.

Simple mode: In this mode, you simply describe what you want your song to be like, and click Generate. Type in a topic in as much detail as you'd like, and describe what kind of style you want it to have. If you're not sure what to enter, you can choose some of the options listed as inspirations. For instance, you might type in "rock song about how great teachers are," then you'd click Create. Suno generates two versions of a full song for you that you can either download or share with a link. Because it's so quick and easy, you can create songs on the spur of the moment with very little effort. These could be used as rewards or for classroom celebrations.

Number two, custom mode: While the songs produced in simple mode are fun, using custom mode allows you to bring your personal creativity into the mix. You can co-write lyrics with the AI, or you can type in all original lyrics yourself. Custom mode also lets you provide input into the music and melody. You can either upload an audio recording that you've made with another program, or you can click the Record option and hum, sing, or play your idea directly into the program. This type of input gives you much more control over your song and gives you more ownership in the process.

With the free version, you can upload or record a one-minute clip and then tap on the option titled, "create a cover". With this choice, the AI generates two new, fleshed-out versions of your recording. I played around with this by recording a really short chorus.

Paul Beckermann 3:33 Teachers rock, teachers rock, bom, bom, teachers rock. Bomb. Bomb. You gotta love your teachers, 'cause they rock.

Paul Beckermann 3:46 When the file was generated, one of the versions actually sounded like me and kept the notes, lyrics, and rhythm for my recording, while adding drums and a rocking guitar under it. It sounded great. The other version applied a female voice as an alternative. That was another interesting option to consider. Other tools in custom mode allow you to describe a style and give the song a title. After you click Create, you'll again get two versions.

Custom Mode can be great for student projects, or for you as a teacher, to generate songs about specific events in your classroom, curricular content, or maybe even a tribute to each student on their birthday. If you're not able to have students use Suno, you can use it as a teacher. And while the tool can be fun to use that way, it is more impactful when students are allowed to use it.

Here are five ideas to get you thinking about potential student applications.

Number one, in language arts, students could turn poetry or creative writing into songs.

Number two, in history or social studies, students might create musical summaries of historical events or biographies of famous figures.

Number three, in science, you could have students write and generate songs explaining scientific concepts. Groups, maybe the photosynthesis rap.

Number four, in World Languages, students might reinforce vocabulary and pronunciation through song creation in their targeted language.

And number five, in any school project, Suno could be used to create relevant background tracks for class videos or presentations.

Now, one of the biggest concerns with AI that I've heard is that it'll make students lazy and make it too easy to produce something that's a valid concern. So how can we make sure that Suno doesn't do all the critical thinking for our students? Here are five strategies.

Number one, original lyrics: Have students write their own lyrics, and then let Suno become the band that brings those lyrics to life.

Number two, experimentation: Have students experiment with style and tone by generating the same lyrics in multiple genres and compare how mood and meaning shift.

Number three, iteration and remixing: Have students treat Suno outputs as rough drafts, and then have them revise lyrics, re-record the AI vocals with their own voice, and maybe mix live instruments with the AI generated ones.

Number four, curricular focus: The content can be curricular in nature and student curated, while Suno creates the music. The academic heavy lifting comes from the students.

And five, critical reflection: After generating a song, have students discuss what Suno added, how their choices shape the project, and perhaps what is missing without human input. This reflection can help deepen awareness of AI as a tool rather than a substitute for artistry.

Finally, if you love the idea of an AI music generator like Suno, and want to take it further, here are two advanced options to you. If you're able to upgrade to the pro version:

Number one, you could upload full-length songs and then have Suno generate a cover version of your own song in different styles. You might like what it produces. Or you could use the AI version as inspiration to help shape your own future performances or versions of the song. It's a way to preview how your songs might translate into various genres and voices.

And number two, you can download the stems. That means that Suno lets you take a song that you like that's been generated and download all the individual instrument and voice parts as separate files. You can then take these files and import them into recording software to re-edit and reproduce the song yourself in different ways. You could also use this option to strip out the AI vocals and sing the part yourself.

Now for this episode, I was hoping to pay for a month's worth of Suno so that I had licensing permission to actually share some of the generated clips with you. But there didn't seem to be an option for month-to-month payment, only a year at a time. So because of that, I guess you're just going to have to head over to suno.com and try it out for yourself. It's fun, and if used right with students, can be a tool that inspires creativity and critical thinking in an enjoyable way.

To learn more about today's topic and explore other free resources, visit avidopenaccess.org. Specifically, I encourage you to check out the article collection, "AI in the K-12 classroom," and of course, be sure to join Rena, Winston, and me every Wednesday for our full-length podcast Unpacking Education, where we're joined by exceptional guests and explore education topics that are important to you. Thanks for listening. Take care and thanks for all you do. You make a difference.