Hitting the right notes: XJTLU academic creates AI-driven music to enhance student’s entrepreneurial mindset

“It's time to transcend the conventional notion of AI as just a data source, and embrace its role as a groundbreaking tool for pedagogical creativity.”

Associate Professor Victor (Vik) Perez is pushing the boundaries of traditional teaching by creating AI-based music to enhance students’ entrepreneurial mindset. This innovative educational intervention was introduced for the first time during Dr Perez’s session at the Immersive Technopreneurship Summer School, hosted by the Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Hub (EEH) at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU).

The first phase involved utilising cutting-edge AI technologies, with Dr Perez spearheading the music creation process, making technical adjustments and crafting customized lyrics. The AI-based music intervention was strategically integrated throughout the programme's transformation week. In Dr Perez's session, the AI-generated tracks were thoughtfully disseminated at the beginning and end of class.

"Using AI to craft lyrics and music that are both catchy and deeply resonate with our students' hearts is no easy task, but when done correctly, it can profoundly elevate their learning experience," said Dr Perez.

After the summer school ended, Dr Perez produced a video-clip version of the AI-generated songs to deepen students' emotional connection with the music. This initiative aimed to reinforce the entrepreneurial mindset ideas embedded in the lyrics through consistent exposure.

Dr Perez emphasises that the development of AI-based music to enhance entrepreneurial learning aligns with the principles of his "Mastering Emotions in Entrepreneurship Education" (MEE) method. The foundational principles and techniques of the MEE approach are scheduled to be published as a book by Edward Elgar Publishing in early 2025.

Dr Perez emphasises that “One exciting aspect of the MEE method is that educators from any field can implement it”

As the first XJTLU academic to create AI-based music specifically designed to boost students’ entrepreneurial mindset, Dr Perez is setting a new standard in the field of AI-enhanced entrepreneurship education. His work not only aims to enrich students’ learning experiences but also inspire educators to explore creative applications of AI in their teaching methods.

Dr Perez is also the inventor of the WNYLE Method, a brain-centered approach designed to enhance students’ entrepreneurial learning, and the author of  “Entrepreneurship and Neuroscience: Researching Brain-driven Entrepreneurship”.  Dr Perez is always open to blue-sky ideas and interdisciplinary collaborations with researchers, practitioners and students; he can be reached at victor.perez@xjtlu.edu.cn

The AI-generated songs created by Dr Perez can be listened to here:

Becoming Me – Victor (Vik) Perez

Wings of Light – Victor (Vik) Perez

Content provided by: Victor (Vik) Perez
Edited by: Haolun Xu