Music, AI, and the Power of Shared Experiences with Robb Blackaby | Downright Mindful Ep. 73

In Episode 73 of Downright Mindful, Matt and Paul sit down with Robb Blackaby — Lee University faculty member, online curriculum builder, tech thinker, and longtime friend of Paul dating back to their Lee College days.

Robb isn’t just a tech guy. He’s a husband to a Walker Valley High School counselor and a father with kids walking those same halls. His world overlaps education, technology, community, and faith in ways that make this conversation timely and personal.

The episode opens with a powerful question:

What happens to us in a crowd?

From concerts to church services, we explore the communal experience of being shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers — singing the same words, feeling the same swell of emotion. Why does it move us? Why does it matter?

Robb offers a thoughtful critique of AI-generated music — not from fear, but from insight. He explains what’s still missing. The nuance. The lived experience. The ache behind the lyric. The unspoken things music communicates that algorithms can’t quite capture.

Then the conversation turns deeply personal.

Robb shares the story of sitting in a crowd during a season when his sister was seriously ill — and hearing Jason Isbell perform Elephant live.

It hits him.

And it’s one of those moments that reminds you why human art still matters.

In the second half, Paul pivots the conversation toward AI and education. What does artificial intelligence mean for teachers? For students? For curriculum builders? For the future of learning?

As educators in Tennessee — with roots at Lee University and connections to Walker Valley High School — the discussion stays grounded, practical, and honest.

This isn’t a hype episode.
It isn’t a fear episode.
It’s a thoughtful one.

If you care about music, technology, education, faith, or simply being human in a digital age — this conversation is for you.

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