10 Apr 2025
A fresh wave of innovation is spreading from Asia to the world. Dr Vik Perez, Associate Professor of Practice at XJTLU’s Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Hub, has introduced an entirely new genre of music designed to rewire how students engage with learning: Cognitive Performance Music™ — a bold fusion of neuroscience, music, and entrepreneurship education.
Dr Perez defines it as an original genre blending neuroscience and music to energize 21st-century learning.
What sets this innovation apart?
It’s not only global in reach — it’s entirely original. Cognitive Performance Music™ is an original framework independently developed and authored by Dr Perez, built on a proprietary algorithm that merges neuroscience with musical architecture. More than music, it is a tool for cognitive activation and emotional learning — designed to awaken learners’ inner drive, sharpen focus, and fuel entrepreneurial mindset development across educational contexts.
“These tracks aren’t just songs,” says Dr Perez. “They’re sonic activations — each one engineered to trigger cognitive energy, stir motivation, and elevate the way learners engage with content.”
A Genre that Moves Minds
Dr Perez’s debut album, Take the Leap, together with his upcoming single Fly High, has already resonated with over 100 learners across 25 countries and 45 cities via his Spotify channel — from Mexico to South Africa, from Tokyo to India — signaling the early global reach of this new educational sound movement.
Unlike traditional background music used passively in classrooms, Cognitive Performance Music™ is deliberately composed as a neuro-pedagogical catalyst. Through calibrated rhythmic structures, strategic lyrical patterns, and emotionally charged motivational content, it elicits targeted neuro-emotional responses — helping learners overcome cognitive inertia and engage with purpose.
Currently under study in the Global Inno Music Experiment, this sound-driven approach is being tested across learners of diverse nationalities — with early responses suggesting it can elevate focus, unlock motivation, and deepen emotional engagement.
Music that Moves Learning Forward
Designed not to accompany learning but to activate it, CPM engages the learner’s cognitive-emotional system, sharpens attention, inspires resilience, and fuels entrepreneurial mindset development.
The goal is not to entertain — but to ignite the mind.
“You are more than your silence. You are ready to rise,” says Dr Vik Perez.
Innovation Across Borders
Dr Perez’s work embodies a growing global movement, one that bridges creativity and cognition, placing emotional resonance at the center of transformative learning. In contexts ranging from entrepreneurship education to personal development, his approach demonstrates that music is not merely an accompaniment to learning — it is a catalyst for it.
This spirit of boundary-pushing innovation aligns with the values of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), which proudly supports educators who defy convention, pioneer new methodologies, and reshape the future of education on their own terms.
Experience the Movement
- Listen on Spotify — Cognitive Performance Music™ Playlist
- Join the Global InnoMusic Network: Be part of the growing international community of learners, educators, and innovators exploring the future of sound-driven learning.
Content provided by: Victor (Vik) Perez
Edited by: Jiayan Ji
10 Apr 2025