Residency · Wichita State University

Greg Spero's Residency at
Wichita State University

April 13–15, 2026

The ones who don’t embrace the change may find themselves swinging fists into a tidal wave. The ones who do may find their surfboard — and have the ride of their lives.

Materials & Downloads

Everything you need from the residency, in one place.

11-Week Course

AI for Musicians: A Complete Course

A self-paced handbook covering AI fundamentals, prompting techniques, audio production tools, visual and video generation, website building, career tools, and app development. Everything a modern musician needs to harness AI.

Download PDF
Course Outline Week 1 · Foundations Week 2 · Prompting Week 3 · Audio Tools Week 4 · Production Week 5 · Visual & Video Week 6 · Websites Week 7 · Career Tools Week 8 · Marketing Week 9 · App Dev Week 10 · Business Week 11 · Integration
30-Lesson Course

Understanding Music from a Compositional Perspective

A complete course in compositional thinking for all instrumentalists and composers. Learn to hear music the way a composer hears it — as a web of decisions, relationships, tensions, and resolutions. Ear first, then score study, then theoretical framework. Draws on Bach, Beethoven, Wolpe, Babbitt, and Stravinsky.

Download PDF
Course Outline Part I · The Ear Lessons 1–5 · Compositional Listening Part II · Counterpoint Lessons 6–10 · Bach & Beyond Part III · Harmony & Form Lessons 11–16 · Classical Style & Voice-Leading Part IV · Chromatic Universe Lessons 17–22 · Serialism & Post-Tonal Part V · Synthesis Lessons 23–30 · Analysis, Jazz & Practice
Master Class

Somewhere — Jazz Improvisation Workshop

Complete notes from the jazz combo master class: the three pillars of improvisation (rhythm, ideas, harmony), scale degree function, goal notes, theme & variation, space, and 7 practice exercises with instrument-specific guidance.

Download PDF
Presentation

Music, AI, and Your Career

Student presentation slides covering the intersection of music, artificial intelligence, and building a sustainable career.

Download PPTX
Free Tool

Claude Grid

Voice-powered AI practice and productivity tool. Built entirely with AI — no coding background needed. Practice timer, voice dictation, AI exercises.

Download Free ZIP
Web App

Practice Timer

Track your practice sessions, set goals, and build consistency. Free to use in your browser.

Open Practice Timer
Guided Practice Videos
Kenny Werner
Mastery Meditation
Kenny Werner · Play piano along
 Tony Robbins
Tony Robbins Priming
Daily focus, energy & gratitude
 Buddhist Meditation
Buddhist Meditation
Gongyo · Chanting practice

The Vertically Integrated Artist

Every artist should be trained in AI. The tools that once required entire teams are now accessible to a single artist with a laptop and a vision.

RoleWhat AI Enables
PR & PublicityAI-written press releases, targeted outreach, media list generation
Label ServicesDistribution, metadata, release strategy — all self-managed
DistributionDirect upload to all platforms via DistroKid, TuneCore, etc.
Tour BookingVenue research, email automation, routing optimization
TeachingAI-powered curriculum, lesson plans, student management
Web DevelopmentBuild full websites with AI assistance in hours, not weeks
Fan EngagementPersonalized newsletters, social content, community management
App DevelopmentBuild custom tools, interactive experiences, fan apps
You don’t need a record label. You need a business plan. — Ari Herstand

The Economics

Understanding where the money is going — and where it isn't.

Going to Zero

  • Commercial music production
  • Generic film scores
  • Stock/sync library music
  • Session work (replaceable)
  • Anything digitally replicable

Going Up

  • Brand collaborations
  • Live content creation
  • Direct-to-fan experiences
  • Unique artistic identity
  • Scarce, irreplaceable you

The principle: anything that can be digitally replicated trends toward zero. But that same replication becomes marketing for the scarce version of you — the live performance, the personal connection, the irreplaceable experience.

$32–35B Live Music Industry
$28.6B Recorded Music
$2.077B Eras Tour Revenue

Greg's Actual Numbers

Revenue StreamAmount
Streaming (all platforms)~$2,000/mo
YouTube~$1,600/mo
Live Performance~$5,000/appearance
Sideman Work~$1,000/gig
InvestingVaries

Alternate Revenue Models

Personal Responsibility

How to Fail

  1. Wait for someone to discover you
  2. Blame the industry, the algorithm, the economy
  3. Refuse to learn new tools
  4. Don't release music
  5. Compare yourself to others instead of building

How to Thrive

  1. Take ownership of every aspect of your career
  2. Learn relentlessly — AI, business, marketing, craft
  3. Release consistently and iterate
  4. Build genuine community around your art
You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete. — Buckminster Fuller

The Napster lesson: The music industry spent years fighting digital distribution. The artists who embraced it early — who saw the surfboard in the tidal wave — built the template for everything that followed.

The 55% Rule: If you're 55% sure about something, do it. Waiting for certainty means waiting forever. Ship, learn, iterate.

Do not fear mistakes. There are none. — Miles Davis

Things You Can Do Right Now

Seventeen concrete steps. No permission needed. Start today.

1

Practice Like Crazy

Deliberate, focused practice. Not noodling. Set specific goals for each session. Record yourself. Listen back critically.

2

Compose Like Crazy

Write something every single day. A melody, a progression, a lyric. The muscle of creation strengthens with use.

3

Release Your Music

DistroKid is $22.99/yr. Upload, distribute to every platform. No label needed. Your music should be in the world.

4

Build a Website + Email

Your digital home base. Use AI to build it. Own your domain. Don't depend on platforms you don't control.

5

Build Your Email List

Social media followers aren't yours. Email subscribers are. Start collecting emails at every show and on your site.

6

Master Your Instrument

No technology replaces deep musicianship. The better you play, the more irreplaceable you become.

7

Master Composition

Learn to hear music like a composer. Study scores. Transcribe. Write every day. This is the deepest musical skill.

8

Play Shows

Live performance is where real connection happens. Book your own gigs. Create your own series. Play everywhere.

9

Lean Into Your Uniqueness

The things that make you weird are the things that make you irreplaceable. Double down on what only you can do.

10

Don't Fear Failure

Every release, every show, every project teaches you something. Ship imperfect work. Learn from it. Ship again.

11

Invest

Open a Robinhood account. Buy BTC, S&P 500 index funds. Start small. Time in the market beats timing the market.

12

Learn AI (1 hour/day)

Spend one hour daily exploring AI tools. ChatGPT, Claude, audio generators, image tools. The learning compounds fast.

13

Release Monthly

One release per month minimum. Singles, videos, live recordings. Consistency builds audience and sharpens your craft.

14

Meditate

Quiet your mind to access your deepest creativity. Even five minutes daily. The instrument responds to the state of the player.

15

Stay Receptive to Feedback

The ability to hear criticism without defensiveness is a superpower. Seek it out. Let it refine you.

16

Build Community

Find your people. Collaborate. Support other artists. The scene you build around you becomes your ecosystem.

17

Learn Dvorak

The Dvorak keyboard layout is more efficient than QWERTY. If you're going to spend your life typing, type better.

Your Mind Is Your Instrument

Kenny Werner's Effortless Mastery: the four steps.

The Four Steps

  • Step 1: Be willing to play badly
  • Step 2: Play one note — make it the most beautiful sound
  • Step 3: Play simple things with mastery
  • Step 4: Play your repertoire from the space of mastery

The Principle

  • The quality of your music is determined by the state of your consciousness, not the speed of your fingers. When you play from a place of freedom and surrender, the music that comes through you is far beyond what your ego could manufacture.
Kenny Werner — Effortless Mastery
Tony Robbins — The Power of Decision
Buddhist Meditation for Inner Peace

Building Your Community

The greatest musical movements were built by communities, not individuals. Robert Glasper didn't just make music — he built a movement that brought jazz to hip-hop audiences and vice versa. Thundercat and the West Coast Get Down created an entire sonic universe together. The Chicago scene — from the AACM to today — has always been about collective elevation.

Duke Ellington didn't just lead a band. He wrote music for specific people — for Johnny Hodges' tone, for Cootie Williams' growl, for Harry Carney's depth. The community shaped the art.

The people you play with now are the people you'll build your career with. Invest in those relationships. Collaborate generously. Create together. The scene you build around yourself isn't just your social circle — it's your artistic ecosystem, your support network, and your path forward.

AI in My Daily Life

Here are two tools I built and use every day — both made possible by AI.

Claude Grid

Voice-powered AI practice and productivity tool. Built entirely with AI assistance — no traditional coding background needed.

  • Practice timer with positive feedback loop
  • Voice dictation and transcription
  • AI-powered exercises

"I built this. You can build tools like this too."

Download Free ZIP

GregBot

Personal relationship intelligence system that integrates my entire life into a single bot.

  • 33,000+ contacts across all platforms
  • 474,000+ emails analyzed by AI
  • 895,000+ iMessages archived
  • Every relationship scored against 8 life goals
  • Chat, Contacts, Goals, Memory, Compose, Lifelogs

"This is what a vertically integrated artist's toolkit looks like."

Both of these were built using AI. The 11-week AI handbook teaches you how to build things like this.

AI for Musicians

An 11-week self-paced course. Start anywhere. Go at your own speed.

01AI Foundations & Setup
02Prompting & Communication
03Audio Tools & Music AI
04Production & Recording
05Visual & Video Generation
06Websites & Online Presence
07Career & Business Tools
08Marketing & Social Media
09App Development Basics
10Business & Monetization
11Integration & Your AI-Powered Career

Quick-start: You don't need to go in order. If you want audio tools, jump to Week 3. If you want to build a website, go to Week 6. Each module is self-contained.

Download the Full Course (PDF)

Understanding Music from a Compositional Perspective

This course is about hearing. Not just ear training in the traditional sense — but learning to hear music the way a composer hears it. Understanding why the notes are there, not just what they are.

The approach: Ear first, then score study, then theory. Most education inverts this. We learn rules before we learn to listen. This course puts hearing back at the center.

Key Concepts

  • Deep listening before analysis
  • Score study as compositional archaeology
  • Theory as explanation, not prescription
  • Transcription as the ultimate ear training
  • Composition as the integration of all skills

What You'll Develop

  • Ability to hear form and structure in real time
  • Understanding of voice leading and counterpoint by ear
  • Instinct for harmonic rhythm and pacing
  • Compositional vocabulary across styles
  • Confidence to compose and arrange from the ear
Download the Course (PDF)

Recommended Reading

Effortless Mastery

Kenny Werner
1996

How to Make It in the New Music Business

Ari Herstand
2023 (3rd Edition)

The Creative Act: A Way of Being

Rick Rubin
2023

1,000 True Fans

Kevin Kelly
2008 · Read online

Greg's Music

Spotify Apple Music YouTube