Will AI Replace the Musician? Student Perspectives on Artistry and Musicianship in the Age of AIThis study explores the evolving role of the human musician in the age of generative AI (genAI), asking whether creativity and artistry will maintain their significance or be reshaped by technology. Using a mixed methods design, a survey of 1230 college level music students was conducted to examine attitudes toward the use of genAI in music performance and creation. These student perspectives are interpreted alongside a directed content analysis of key music education philosophies, including Dewey’s Art as Experience (1938) and Elliott & Silverman’s Music Matters (2015), offering insight into how future generations of teachers view the balance between human musicianship and technological innovation. Findings highlight tensions between trust in AI as co-creator and the enduring value of human artistry, raising questions about how music education can respond to this shifting landscape. Music students voiced strong resistance to AI as a teacher, with many equating its presence in the classroom to “the end of music education as we know it.” They described AI-generated music as “soulless” and disconnected from lived experience, raising existential questions about the future of the music teacher and the very identity of the human musical artist.Keywords: Generative AI (Gen-AI), music education, mixed methods, philosophical inquiry, music and technology, music students, qualitative survey, student perspectives