The Impact of AI-Mediated Accompaniment on the Practice Experience and Aesthetic Perception of Trombone Players

The integration of artificial intelligence into music education has enabled the development of adaptive tools that may simulate selected aspects of human musical collaboration. Nevertheless, the psychological mechanisms through which such tools influence the immediate quality of musical practice remain insufficiently understood. This study examined the short-term psychological and aesthetic effects of an interactive AI-mediated accompaniment condition versus a metronome condition during trombone practice. Using a within-subjects design, 36 trombonists completed two counterbalanced sessions, yielding 72 complete session-level observations. Participants in the AI accompaniment condition reported higher flow, positive affect, self-regulated learning, and aesthetic perception, and lower music performance anxiety, heart rate, and electrodermal activity than in the metronome condition. Blind expert ratings showed higher musical expressiveness, whereas technical accuracy did not differ significantly. A moderated mediation analysis indicated that AI accompaniment was associated with higher aesthetic perception through reduced music performance anxiety, and this indirect effect was stronger among musicians with higher technology acceptance. These findings suggest that interactive accompaniment may create a more engaging and less anxiety-provoking practice environment that fosters aesthetic engagement.