- You got a kick out of telling people in other school districts that the Park is the only place where you can have a class with someone and have to ask what school they go to!
- You had to actually contemplate whether or not you like watching forest fires. Multiple times.
- You kept taking foreign language classes because food days.
- You logged into ePark and checked to see if any interesting people had logged in recently. Maybe you even clicked on their names to see what classes they were in…
- You went to a different homecoming each year just because you could!
- You saw the irony in the No$tudents! Wi-Fi password.
- You knew that there was a 90 percent chance someone in a varsity jacket was in marching band or robotics.
- You bragged about having a coloring club at school. You were not part of said coloring club.
- You listened to 88.1 The Park.
- You knew exactly when it was time to get ready for the MME (it was for your future and prosperity).
- At some point, you had no classes in your home school.
- You learned how to fit backpacks into lockers skinnier than a piece of paper…and then learned how to stop using lockers at all.
- Every time the picture of Aziz Ansari in our yearbook pops up on social media, you proudly tell everyone that was at your school!
- You looked yourself up in the back of the yearbook to see how many pages you appeared on. Bonus points if your listing took up more than one line.
- You contemplated buying yourself a Valentine’s Day carnation so you wouldn’t feel like Gretchen Weiners in a room full of Glenn Cocos.
- You know that the only right answer to “What team?” is “Wildcats!”
- You were definitely not immune to the pull of fresh Otis Spunkmeyer cookies.
- You were confused by the lack of consistency in mascot type across the schools.
- You realized the best insult is “you swim/play football/dance like a rock!”
- You got distracted from your own booth by the breakdancers during Activities Extravaganza.
- All of a sudden, you were competing against your teammates from middle school.
- You won 0 things at the Senior All Night party while some people won lots. Classic.
- You walked through the river that formed between Salem and Plymouth on rainy days.
- You got lost trying to find your bus at the beginning of the school year.
- You took Humanities just to wear a toga to class.
- You participated in all the things on Duchamp day and made sure to be extra healthy around that time so you wouldn’t miss out when it happened. Afterwards, you had an existential crisis and wondered what your purpose in the universe was, anyway.
- You ended up with 20+ shirts from all your classes, clubs, homecomings and sports.
- You ran, made food for or purchased from tons of bake sales.
- You embraced your unpopularness once water wars came around because no one knew who you were.
- You freaked out when someone got asked to Prom in January because it meant the clock was ticking and nobody loves you.
- You cried when you turned in your last APUSH 8x11.
- You finally felt like an upperclassman when you had your tie-dye Chem shirt.
- You wore your nicest outfit for schedule pick up even though the pictures captured none of that and only your awkward smile that looks nothing like how it looked in the mirror that morning.
- You joined NHS because all the cool kids were doing it; you stayed for the blanket making.
- You were super bummed when they stopped giving out the Park shirts with all the smiley faces on the back.
- You got way too intense about water wars — hardcore stalked each person on the opposing team down to their morning routine and entire family’s schedule, stopped coming to the door when the doorbell rang, waiting outside someone’s house for hours in your car — you know the drill.
- You went on to a college in Michigan or a college smaller than PCEP (sometimes even both!)
- You know what “the path” is (super descriptive, I know).
- You knew to never expect a snow day, because a school that requires walking outside should obviously get fewer snow days than schools where everything is indoors!
- You knew the pros and cons of each store that carried letter jackets.
- You were wildly impressed by the quality of the theater performances in the Salem auditorium.
- You’ve seen the water under the bridge overflow.
- You participated in the SJ5K.
- It took you at least half a semester to figure out which direction was faster to walk to your class in Salem.
- You tried to find yourself in the giant PCEP picture.
- You got to take an interesting class that isn’t offered anywhere else.
- You actually got hyped at pep rallies!
- You painted the rock (or wished you had).
- You had a ton of teachers who cared about you more than anything.
- You can’t explain what your high school experience was like to anyone who went somewhere else!
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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
StableDiffusion
The Illusion of Creativity
AI-generated music is often marketed as “artistic” or “educational.” But what does it really teach?
- That style can be replicated without understanding.
- That emotion can be simulated without feeling.
- That effort can be bypassed with a prompt.
For young creators, this sets a dangerous precedent. Why learn to play guitar when an algorithm can do it faster? Why study harmony when AI can generate chord progressions in seconds? The risk isn’t just laziness — it’s the loss of depth, discipline, and the tactile joy of creation.
I have listened to several AI-generated music covers. My initial reaction was one of considerable impressiveness, particularly regarding the reimagining of classic pop hits in diverse genres with novel arrangements. Here is one good example a-ha — Take On Me
However, after engaging with several such Ai generated song covers, a sense of emotional detachment emerged, attributable to the perceived absence of human artistry and genuine sentiment, resulting in a technically flawless yet ultimately soulless auditory experience.
Copyright in Crisis
What does the copyright law say about AI generated music, especially in field of music covers. Who is liable for copyright in this case, AI developers, people who used AI to generate music or people who published it on music platforms?
Recent lawsuits show that the music industry is pushing back hard:
- Universal, Sony, and Warner sued AI music platforms Suno and Udio in 2024 for allegedly training their models on copyrighted songs without permission Ars Technica The Lyon Firm.
- They’re seeking up to $150,000 per infringed song, arguing that the AI outputs resemble famous tracks and voices (e.g., Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson).
- These lawsuits target the developers of the AI tools — but they raise broader questions:The legal gray area is training data. Courts haven’t yet ruled definitively on whether using copyrighted songs to train AI counts as infringement or fair use Sites at USC.
But who’s liable?
Role | Legal Risk | Why |
AI Developers | ✅ High | For training on copyrighted material without licenses. |
Users | ⚠️ Moderate | If they intentionally recreate protected works. |
Publishers/Platforms | ✅ High | For distributing infringing content. |
The grey area lies in training data. Courts haven’t yet ruled definitively on whether using copyrighted songs to train AI counts as infringement or fair use. Meanwhile, AI-generated works themselves aren’t eligible for copyright unless a human provides substantial creative input — leaving them in legal limbo.
The Educational Mirage
Some argue that AI music helps people learn genres, production styles, or vocal techniques. But this “education” often lacks context. It’s like learning to paint by watching a printer — technically impressive, but creatively hollow.
True musical education involves:
- Struggle and iteration: Learning through mistakes.
- Emotional connection: Expressing what words can’t.
- Cultural lineage: Understanding the roots of sound.
AI shortcuts bypass all of this. And in doing so, they risk flattening the rich terrain of human creativity into a sterile landscape of algorithmic mimicry.
Why This Fight Matters
This isn’t just about music. It’s about the future of art, storytelling, and human expression. If we allow machines to dominate creative spaces, we risk turning culture into content — optimized, monetized, and devoid of soul.
We must ask: Do we want a world where art is made by machines, or one where machines help humans make better art?
5 Key Takeaways
- AI-generated music blurs the line between innovation and erosion in the creative arts
- AI-generated music raises questions about copyright, culture, education, and artistic expression
- AI-generated music can replicate style without understanding, simulate emotion without feeling, and bypass effort with a prompt
- AI-generated music sets a dangerous precedent for young creators by potentially leading to a loss of depth, discipline, and joy of creation
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