Dumitrescu, Petru-Andrei and Paterson, Justin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7822-319X (2026) Do you feel the music? Affective AI for expressive and aesthetic music education. In: Innovation in music: TBC. Innovation in music. Routledge, Focal Press, Abingdon, New York. (Submitted)

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Abstract

This chapter investigates how affective conversational AI can support music production practice through pedagogical guidance and reflective decision-making. Focusing on Sesame’s (2025) affective voice agent, Maya, this proof-of-concept study evaluates how musicians experience a non-generative, voice-based AI system that provides verbal guidance rather than producing or analysing musical content. A mixed-methods approach was employed with seven participants completing self-directed music-production tasks while interacting with the AI. Qualitative data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, alongside inferential quantitative analysis of Likert-scale responses using the Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Findings indicate that participants perceived Maya as accessible, engaging, and useful for translating creative ideas into musical concepts, supporting confidence, workflow efficiency, and reflection. However, limitations emerged regarding conversational pacing, hallucinations, stylistic specificity, and the absence of audio recognition or generation capabilities. The study positions affective AI as a collaborative support tool that augments, rather than replaces, human creativity and musical agency.

Item Type:	Book Chapter or Section
Subjects:	Computing > Intelligent systems Music
Date Deposited:	24 Oct 2026
Dates:	Date Publication status 30 July 2026 Submitted
School, department or research centre:	London College of Music
URI:	https://repository.uwl.ac.uk/id/eprint/15542
Sustainable Development Goals:	Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

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