A Case Study on LLM Code Generation in Sonic Pi and Its Impact on Student Attitudes towards Computer Science

Research has demonstrated that creating music and soundscapeswith tools like Sonic Pi can enhance the appeal of computer scienceand music composition as fields of study. However, with currentadvancements in artificial intelligence (AI), the nature of computer science is evolving rapidly, particularly with AI’s ability to generate code from a single prompt. Similarly, AI technologies have already begun to transform music composition by enabling thegeneration of music. This study investigates whether live codingwith large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT and Copilotinfluences perceptions of entering the fields of music compositionand computer science. Understanding the impact of AI is crucial, asit increasingly shapes various domains of our lives. To explore this,we instructed a random sample of high school students in the basicsof live coding, emphasizing the inclusion of AI tools. The resultsindicate a positive shift in students’ attitudes toward programmingand music creation, suggesting that AI serves as a beneficial toolrather than a detrimental one.