Cautious Optimism: Parents' Views of a Robotic Music Tutor

Robotic musicians such as Keirzo present a provocative testĝ€'case for the growing use of social robots in education. Music learning is highly creative and relational, raising the question of whether parents - key gatekeepers for child technology use - could accept robots as credible teachers. I conducted a focused survey study in which fiftyĝ€'three parents (M_age=44.6 years; 64% female) watched four short videos of Keirzo tutoring an eightĝ€'yearĝ€'old drummer and then completed the General Attitudes Towards Robots Scale (GAToRS) and an adapted Parents' Perceptions of Educational Apps Use questionnaire (PEAUĝ€'p). Quantitative scores revealed moderately positive personal feelings toward robots but lingering doubts about pedagogical effectiveness. Thematic analysis of open responses showed cautious optimism: parents praised robots' patience and nonĝ€'judgemental feedback, yet worried about emotional intelligence, safety, and the irreplaceable social role of human teachers. I discuss design implications for mechanomorphic music tutors and chart research directions for sustainable human-robot partnerships in creative education.