Technology, Innovation & the Future of the Creative Curriculum: Full Schedule

Welcome to the Technology, Innovation & the Future of the Creative Curriculum Conference 2026.

11:45am BST

Mediator, Shortcut, or Collaborator? Students' Experiences with Generative AI in Music Production Learning

Thursday July 9, 2026 11:45am - 12:15pm BST

Artificial intelligence is increasingly positioned as a transformative force in creative education, yet empirical insight into how generative AI tools shape students' learning and creative processes remains limited. This study investigates how generative AI tools mediate learning among music teacher students, with a focus on creative learning processes, self-efficacy, and music production competence.

The study took place in an undergraduate music teacher education course introducing students to music production in Ableton Live. Participants (N = 8) were divided into an AI-supported group (n = 4) and a non-AI group (n = 4), receiving identical tuition. The AI group had access to an LLM chatbot of personal choice and the generative music tool Suno.com.

Data sources included pre- and post-tests measuring self-efficacy and DAW competence, alongside qualitative focus group interviews and student reflective notes. Quantitative findings revealed only modest differences between groups. The AI-supported group demonstrated relatively stable but limited development in both self-efficacy and competence, while the non-AI group showed greater variability, including both substantial gains and declines. Qualitative findings illuminate these patterns: AI-group students engaged in more structured, guidance-dependent learning, relying on generated suggestions and step-by-step assistance. Non-AI students more frequently engaged in exploratory, trial-and-error processes. While AI tools enabled efficiency and rapid content generation, they also introduced challenges related to interpretation, integration, and over-reliance.

In both conditions, human support from teacher and peers proved central to student motivation and engagement, emphasising that meaningful AI integration does not diminish the need for relational pedagogical presence. This study contributes to discussions on AI-enhanced creative curricula by demonstrating that AI does not simply improve learning outcomes, but reshapes how students learn, create, and understand their own competence.

Speakers

Kristian Tverli Iversen

PhD candidate / IK / Department for Arts Education , Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL)

Kristian Tverli Iversen is a PhD fellow at the Department of Art Studies at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. Previously, he has worked as teacher of music production at Voss Folk High School and as a cultural worker in the municipality of Bergen. His areas of interest... Read More →

Thursday July 9, 2026 11:45am - 12:15pm BST
Room 2.46 Art School Entrance

AI & Student Learning, Paper

12:30pm BST

Learning to Walk with AI: Reframing AI in Higher Education

Thursday July 9, 2026 12:30pm - 1:00pm BST

Room 2.46

Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly embedded within higher education, yet much of the discussion remains centred on detection, prevention and concerns around academic misconduct. This session proposes a more balanced perspective by exploring AI as a practical educational tool rather than an automatic threat to academic integrity.

Drawing on lived experience as a postgraduate student and examples from project-based and creative education, the presentation considers how AI can support idea generation, planning, reflection, accessibility and workflow management while maintaining critical thinking and human authorship.

The session will explore both opportunities and limitations of AI, including concerns around reliability, bias and overreliance, before moving toward practical examples of responsible implementation.

Building from previous work developed within Music Management, the presentation will transition into a workshop element introducing how software and AI-assisted approaches can be incorporated into project-based work. Through discussion and examples, participants will consider how technology can support creativity, organisation and inclusion without replacing academic judgement.

The aim is not to argue that AI should replace education, but to encourage a more informed and constructive conversation about how it can be used ethically and effectively within contemporary higher education.

Speakers

Kathy Mullin

MA Music Industry Management, The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA)

Thursday July 9, 2026 12:30pm - 1:00pm BST
Room 2.46 Art School Entrance

AI & Student Learning, Workshop

1:45pm BST

'Things We Never Say': The Effect of Generative AI Tools on Online Musicians

Thursday July 9, 2026 1:45pm - 2:15pm BST

Room 2.46

Through the use of applications such as Suno, AI-generated musical composition has become an accessible, and hotly debated, possibility (Nugroho and Manggala, 2024). Debates surrounding these generative tools commonly cover the environmental impact of AI use, the moral and creative experience of the individual using the tool, and the effect that these tools have on the music industries and livelihoods of current musicians. An important factor to consider, especially regarding the latter point, is how a current musician’s musical output may be used by these tools - whether or not this use is consensual.

Reflecting on my autoethnographic experience as an active YouTube musician, Things We Never Say refers to an AI-generated album of remixes of my musical works sent to me anonymously, alongside three generated album covers using my image without my permission.

The presentation seeks to analyse these files, explore the personal response resulting from the files, and place the experience within the wider context of seemingly uncontrollable AI-generated musical content. Through conducting these analyses, the presentation seeks to provide a first-hand, realistic insight into the consequences of non-consensual generative AI use, and highlight the risks associated with the applications that make this possible.

Speakers

Jessie Monday

Songwriter, MA Music Industry Management, The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA)

Thursday July 9, 2026 1:45pm - 2:15pm BST
Room 2.46 Art School Entrance

AI & Creative Limits, Paper

2:30pm BST

AI-Driven Creative Processes in Sound Design Education: Opportunities and Emerging Challenges

Thursday July 9, 2026 2:30pm - 3:15pm BST

Room 2.46

The rapid evolution of AI-assisted audio tools ranging from machine-learning noise reduction
and stem separation to procedural sound generation and spatialisation has begun to reshape
the creative workflow for emerging sound practitioners. While these tools offer unprecedented
speed, accessibility, and creative possibilities, their integration into sound design education
remains inconsistent across institutions.

This paper explores how AI can be effectively embedded into higher-education creative audio
curricula, drawing from practical case studies and workflow observations in film and game
sound. I examine how tools such as voice-isolated dialogue repair, AI-assisted Foley synthesis,
generative ambiences, and automated mixing systems can enhance foundational learning
rather than replace human creativity.

The study also considers challenges: ethical authorship, over-reliance on automation, access
inequality, and the risk of diminishing critical listening skills. Through a practitioner-focused lens,
the paper proposes a balanced framework where AI functions as an augmentation of the
student’s craft helping learners refine decision-making, expand sonic imagination, and
accelerate iterative exploration.

By situating AI as a collaborative partner rather than a shortcut, the paper argues for a
future-ready pedagogy that empowers both educators and students in creative audio disciplines.

Speakers