[Gyeonggi Welfare Newspaper] Overcoming the Limits of Disability with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Blooming Artistic Spirit

A chance for advancement for young musicians
A chance for growth for students and youth
A chance for self-reliance for artists with disabilities

JL Dream Art Troupe performed at the Gyeonggi AI Creation Group Performance Sharing Session

A performance sharing session for the Gyeonggi Province AI Creation Group was held at the small auditorium of the Gyeonggi Art Center on February 28th.
The Gyeonggi Province AI Creation Group's education program trains customized creative talents, including people with developmental disabilities, by educating them on basic artificial intelligence theory and conducting presentations through creation using generative artificial intelligence platforms.
The curriculum operates over 16 weeks, consisting of main instructors overseeing the AI Art School and assistant instructors who are local young artists. It supports seamless creative activities where AI technology, art, and trainees are all united.
The Gyeonggi Province AI Creation Group involved five organizations: Korea Convergence Arts Group, Emotionwave, N-Bex, JL Dream Art Group, and Dream On School, which managed the entire process from AI education operation to experience education, professional arts education, and performances.
In this process, 24 Gyeonggi Province artists participated, and together with 32 graduates, they created 100 musical motifs, culminating in a final performance of 3 pieces through the sharing session.

Lee Young-bong, Chairman of the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee, Gyeonggi Provincial Council

The attending guest, Lee Young-bong, Chairman of the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council, delivered a congratulatory speech, saying, "Director Seo Chun-ki of Gyeonggi Art Center and Director Lee Yoon-taek of Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation were also present. Thank you. Last year, we held an AI exhibition with art at the Gyeonggi Provincial Council, and the response was very positive. I think that incorporating AI culture into music this year seems to have developed, so I believe more attention should be paid to it. The fact that people with developmental disabilities can do music through AI is something I find incredibly grateful and happy. At this Gyeonggi Provincial Council meeting, we have allocated about 700 million won in the 2024 budget to establish a disabled orchestra. We will strive to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities by allowing them to enjoy music and participate in an orchestra. Congratulations on holding the sharing session."

Hwang Hyun-jin, Member of JL Dream Art Group

Furthermore, Hwang Hyun-jin, a member of the JL Han-kkum Arts Group and student representative, explained the process by saying, "We participated in the Gyeonggi Province AI music creation program starting last December. At first, just hearing the word 'artificial intelligence' gave me a headache. But when I turned on the computer and saw that songs came out after entering keywords like 'word command,' it was so amazing to hear. When we entered words I liked, such as star, love, character, and idol, lyrics were created. We were able to stand on stage today thanks to the help of expert teachers who assisted us and other accompanying experts. My friends who learned with me listened together, and even my mom liked it very much. I have been accepted into Pyeongtaek University College of Music majoring in violin. I think the Gyeonggi Province where I live is really nice. Thank you for attending, and I hope you had a happy time."

Jo Seung-hyun, CEO of N-Bex Co., Ltd., presented a report on the achievements.

Jo Seung-hyun, CEO of N-Bex Co., Ltd., who was in charge of overall education development and operation to promote this project, presented a report on the achievements.
CEO Jo said, "We are trying to promote changes in culture and arts by opening an era of innovative AI art through the convergence of art and technology, in line with the new artificial intelligence era. Furthermore, we are building and operating a new platform and curriculum so that marginalized groups, especially people with disabilities including those with developmental disabilities, can become self-reliant through artificial intelligence." He added, "The numerous professional artists, public-private cooperation, and most importantly, the efforts of the students, parents, and assistant instructors have made today's achievement sharing session possible."
CEO Jo also stated, "Designing and operating an educational program over about 16 weeks was a challenge regarding the possibility of easy understanding, application, and use of artificial intelligence." He added that, "In particular, the emergence and rapid changes in generative AI were difficult even for many experts to keep up with."

Kim Min-jae, researcher from Emotionwave IT Artificial Intelligence Team, demonstrating a performance

Kim Min-jae, researcher from Emotionwave IT Artificial Intelligence Team, gave a performance demonstration along with an explanation of the music creation using the 'Generative AI Platform StageCloud.'
Afterward, the Dream On School Orchestra and Choir of JL Han-kkum Arts Group presented three original songs.

JL Han-kkum Arts Group performing 'Ripple,' the first song

The first song, 'Ripple,' received many rounds of applause from the audience for containing a message of hope with a musical ripple, like a ray of light, even when facing walls of difficult and harsh reality, drawing inspiration from 'Dreams and Music.'

JL Han-kkum Arts Group performing 'Song of the Sea,' the second song

The second song is 'Song of the Sea,' an original work created with themes of travel, love, and memories. It contains the sentiment of wanting to remember the joyful memories from travels in the future. The final piece, 'The Concert of GAIA,' is an orchestral original composition announcing the start of the Gyeonggi-do Artificial Intelligence Creation Group. Here, GAIA stands for (Gyeonggi-do Artificial Intelligence Arts), which is an abbreviation for Gyeonggi-do Artificial Intelligence Art, and the title expresses a double meaning: 'GAIA' refers to the Earth's land and the goddess of all things and creation in Greek mythology.
Although all three songs prepared by JL Dream Art Troupe have ended, perhaps because they wanted to hear the beautiful and magnificent singing and performance again, an 'encore' poured out from the audience, and the art troupe sang 'Island Baby.'

A photo of Kim Young-sik, Principal of JL Dream Art Troupe (DreamOn School), Kim Young-seong member of the DreamOn School Choir, Jung Myung-soon Vice President of the Parents' Association, and Director General Yeom Hye-jung posing together.

Kim Young-sik, Principal of JL Dream Art Troupe (DreamOn School), emphasized, "Through this opportunity, we created three songs that do not exist in the world, which has become a great gift of confidence and emotion, especially for people with developmental disabilities among the culture and arts care population. I hope that people with developmental disabilities can be in a state where they can contribute to society as beings, and I hope that policies providing a human life and integrating a healthy society can be further vitalized." ,

Pianist Da-eun Kim, Professor Yoon Han, who is both a vocalist and conductor, and Jung Myung-soon, Vice President of the Parents' Association, mother of Kim Young-seong student from DreamOn School.

A scene of the JL Dream Art Troupe and guests taking a commemorative photo after the event.

Jeong Myung-soon, vice president of the Dream On School Parents' Meeting who attended the event, said, "I am very grateful that our students with developmental disabilities, including Youngseongi, waited without any complaints while practicing from 2 PM even though the performance was at 7 PM. Through this achievement sharing session, I hope they can express their thoughts that they couldn't articulate in words through artificial intelligence. As a parent, my wish is that they live happy lives by sharing dreams, hopes, joys, and sorrows—things they themselves didn't know how to put into words because of being labeled with developmental disabilities—through music."
The JL Dream Art Troupe started as a choir for 'singing jobs' in 2015 and has been carrying out public interest activities to help students with developmental disabilities achieve self-reliance through employment since 2020.

Gyeonggi Province AI Creation Group Education Program Process

Step 1: Artificial Intelligence Theory Education

Photo - Enbex Blog

Conducting basic theory education on artificial intelligence and generative AI, and conducting theory-experience convergence education through experience with a generative AI platform.

Stage 2: Artificial Intelligence Experience Education

Photo - Enbex Blog

Game-based ensemble classes with AI instruments, immersive music lessons using VR, and broadcast production education through digital avatars,

Operating unique experiential classes reflecting music technology trends, such as piano lessons based on AI evaluation, to enhance students' interest in artificial intelligence.

Stage 3: Artificial Intelligence Creation Education

Photo - Enbex Blog

Receiving education in composition and lyric writing theory, which can be called the foundation of music creation,

Creating my own songs directly through a generative artificial intelligence music creation platform dedicated to Gyeonggi-do AI creators

Step 4: Professional Arts Education and Original Song Presentation

Photo - Enbex Blog

Based on the completed original songs, professional arts education and practice are conducted with orchestras, choirs, etc., leading up to a final performance presentation.

Original article: Reporter Oh Hye-jung of Gyeonggi Welfare Newspaper