During their musicology master’s programme, Yujie and Yulin have taken advantage of extracurricular opportunities to help them develop the skills they need for the future.
Through our Careers and Employability and Student Enterprise service, both students volunteered with the Cross-Culture Hub in Southampton, using music and AI as tools for building community.
The Cross-Culture Hub aims to reduce the digital exclusion faced by people in the local community, particularly older adults and those from diverse backgrounds who often lack literacy in digital skills.
Encouraging learning and respect
Yujie and Yulin have been helping to provide accessible, friendly digital skills support within the Hub – a setting that encourages mutual learning and respect. They have discovered the capacity for music to connect and engage people from a range of lived experiences, harnessing their academic expertise.
“We have found that music sessions proved to be a powerful tool,” says Nagina Kaleem from the Cross-Culture Hub. “They helped the students to engage with the members of our Punjabi community and learn about their culture while also learning Punjabi songs.”
Yujie and Yulin are using their musical expertise to make a difference in the community, while learning more about engagement and culture. During the sessions, the pair helped to lead musical warm-up activities to bring together community members from different cultural backgrounds. They supported participants in using music to build trust and connection within the group.
Using AI to create a bilingual song
“I also helped participants to explore how to use AI technology to create songs and melodies,” says Yujie. “We used AI to generate lyrics in both English and Chinese and then combined these lyrics to create a unique bilingual song. This experience highlights the beauty of cultural fusion and allows everyone to engage creatively through both music and technology.”
The involvement of student volunteers has had a positive effect. With their help, the group members gained the confidence to take their first steps online and gain the independence to manage their daily digital tasks.
Nagina Kaleem, Cross-Culture Hub
Yujie explains that one of her favourite moments was when she worked with participants to write lyrics for a song. “Everyone had to say ‘candy is so tasty!’ in their own native language. It was such a simple sentence, but hearing it in Urdu, Chinese, English, and other languages made it feel special,” she says.
“We all tried so hard to pronounce each other's languages correctly – there were lots of laughs, and moments of real focus and curiosity. It was heartwarming to see how music and language brought us closer together, and how everyone contributed something unique from their culture.”
Improving communication skills across cultures
For Yujie and Yulin, this was their first experience contributing to a UK-based community initiative. It helped them gain a deep understanding of other cultures and develop a sense of belonging.
“It also helped me improve my English communication skills, especially in real-life, cross-cultural settings,” says Yulin. “By taking part in these activities, I also learned how to put the concepts of community music from my academic courses into practice. This experience gave me valuable insight and hands-on skills that will benefit my future career.”
“Volunteering in the Hub has given me valuable insights into how music can be used not just artistically, but also socially and scientifically, as a tool for community building,” says Yujie.
Being involved in a project that combined music and AI with participants from different backgrounds has given me more confidence and flexibility as an educator.
Yujie, musicology master’s student
Top tips for students thinking about work experience
Since Yulin has completed her volunteering with the Hub, she has reflected on her time and offers three top tips for other students who might be wondering whether work experience through their course is something they'd be interested in doing.
“First, try to be open and talk to others. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or share your ideas, because communication can help you learn more and meet new people,” she says.
“Second, be brave and try different tasks, even if they feel new or difficult. This can help you find out what you enjoy and build more skills.
“Third, take the initiative to plan your time early, this will help you stay organised and get the most out of your experience.”
