The keynote that begins and ends with live music.
Dr. Darryl S. Adams, Ed.D. — former superintendent, Google Executive Coach, TEDx speaker, and the founding keyboardist of the first African-American rock band to appear on MTV. The argument holds up without the music. The music just makes it unforgettable.
The only keynote on AI governance that closes with an original song, not a slide.
Response within one business day · Fee provided, not a brochure
Dr. Darryl S. Adams, Ed.D.
Two videos. Forty-two years apart. The same man.
In 1984, Dr. Adams was the keyboardist, synth player, and co-writer for Xavion — signed to Elektra Records, managed by Tommy Mottola, and touring with Hall & Oates. Burnin' Hot, recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis, became one of the first singles by an African-American rock band to enter MTV rotation. Xavion was the first African-American rock band to appear on MTV — four years before Living Colour. Dr. Adams performed under his legal name, Derwin Adams. He has written music for four decades and remains a BMI-registered songwriter.
What followed was thirty years of public education. As Superintendent of the Coachella Valley Unified School District — one of the lowest-income districts in California — Dr. Adams put a device in the hands of every student and teacher, secured more than $40 million in grants, and then solved the problem the devices created: children with no internet at home. He fitted school buses with WiFi routers and parked them in neighborhoods overnight so children could do their homework from their front steps. The U.S. Department of Education named him one of the Top 100 Most Innovative Superintendents in the nation. President Barack Obama personally recognized the WiFi-on-Wheels initiative at the White House during the Future Ready pledge signing in 2014.
On the TEDx stage, Dr. Adams did not describe the music-integrated keynote. He performed it — a talk on closing the digital divide, delivered from behind an Akai keyboard and closed with an original song he wrote about the work. Music. Message. Movement.™ was on a TEDx screen before it was a framework. It was a lyric first.
Today, Dr. Adams is the founder of Dr. Adams Global™ and the author of Rage Against the AI Machine™ (October 2026). He serves as a Google Executive Coach and advises superintendents, governing boards, and executive teams on Human-Directed AI™ — the principle that people lead, technology serves, and leadership decides. His keynotes make a serious case about governance and artificial intelligence and then end with live music, because that is what a room actually carries home.
Dr. Adams holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Azusa Pacific University (2002).
MTV — First African-American Rock Band
Xavion, Elektra Records, 1984. Keyboardist & co-writer. Performed as Derwin Adams.
White House — President Obama
Top 100 Most Innovative Superintendents. WiFi-on-Wheels initiative recognized personally.
TEDx Speaker
Humans Connect, Technology Projects — music-integrated keynote performed live on the TEDx stage.
Google Executive Coach
Coaching leaders inside one of the most demanding performance environments in the world.
Ed.D., Educational Leadership
Azusa Pacific University, 2002. Thirty years leading public institutions.
Rage Against the AI Machine™
A humanity-first case for Human-Directed AI. October 2026.
This is not a theory. This is a Tuesday.
Two videos. On one, Dr. Adams is playing synth on MTV. On the other, a President of the United States is thanking him for what he did for poor children. Both are real. Both are the same man.
Xavion — “Eat Your Heart Out” (Elektra, 1984). The first African-American rock band on MTV. Keyboards: Derwin Adams.
The White House, 2014. President Obama recognizes WiFi-on-Wheels and the Future Ready pledge.
Your attendees have sat through a great many competent sessions about artificial intelligence. They cannot name one of them. That is the problem I was built to solve.
What I come to say.
Every keynote is tailored to the room. These are the arguments I am currently making.
Rage Against the AI Machine™
Artificial intelligence will produce a confident, fluent answer about a human being it has never met — and somebody still has to sign it. This is the case for Human-Directed AI™: people lead, technology serves, leadership decides. Delivered to the people who will be standing in the room when the question comes.
Someone Has to Go First
What thirty years of leading a public institution taught about courage, accountability, and going first — into the hard meeting, the unfamiliar technology, and the conversation nobody wants to have. The keynote for organizations facing change their people did not ask for.
AI Is Here. Quantum Is Coming.
A plain-language reckoning with what is actually arriving — artificial intelligence now, quantum computing next — and what it demands of the humans in charge. No jargon, no hype, no doom. Just the honest shape of the thing and what leadership looks like inside it.
The Board Meeting Test™
An interactive session built around four questions every board will eventually ask about AI: who approved it, what data it touched, whether the public can see it, and who owns the error. The audience scores themselves live. Nobody leaves comfortable, and that is the point.
Music. Message. Movement.™ — M³™
M³™ is not a gimmick and it is not an opening act. It is a structure — the reason people are still talking about the session at dinner instead of checking their email during it. Live music, composed and performed by Dr. Adams. A serious, evidence-grounded argument about leadership and technology. A room that leaves with something to do on Monday.
On a TEDx stage, in front of an audience, on the record.
Dr. Adams did not describe the music-integrated keynote on the TEDx stage. He performed it. The keyboard is not a prop.
What the room actually said.
"Dr. Adams walked into a room full of skeptical board members and three hours later they were asking how to bring him back. He does not tell you what you want to hear. He tells you what you need to know. We adopted an AI governance policy within sixty days of his session."Board President · California Unified School District
"The live music at the end of the keynote caught everyone off guard — in the best possible way. I have never seen a room of superintendents that quiet and that present at the same time. The content was outstanding. The performance was unforgettable."Conference Director · State Superintendent Association
"We had tried twice to get our leadership team aligned on AI policy. Dr. Adams did it in a half-day. He is the rare person who can speak to a board, a cabinet, and a room full of teachers and land the same argument in language each group recognizes as their own."Superintendent · Large Urban District, Southwest
"When the session ended, four people in my event team immediately asked me to rebook him for next year. That has never happened before. Dr. Adams is not a speaker. He is an experience. The keynote, the music, and the conversation afterward — all of it."Vice President, Events · National Education Association
How it can be delivered.
| Format | Length | Best for | Includes live music |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keynote | 45–60 min | Conference general session — opening or closing | Optional |
| Keynote + Performance | 60–75 min | The full M³™ experience. Live music integrated throughout, not bolted on. | Yes |
| Half-Day Session | 3–4 hours | Board retreats and leadership days. Keynote plus working session with real outputs. | Yes |
| Staff Development Day | Full day | District or organization-wide. Keynote, breakouts, and a plan people take back. | Yes |
| Dr. Adams House Party LIVE™ | 60–90 min | Premium conference closing or gala experience. Keynote concert — argument and performance as one. | Yes |
| Virtual Keynote | 45–60 min | Remote and hybrid audiences. Yes, the music still works. | Optional |
Logistics for meeting planners
- Travel: Available nationally and internationally
- Tech rider: Full keyboard setup, PA, monitor mix
- AV needs: Standard conference AV for slides/video
- Run-of-show: Provided 30 days before event
- Response time: Availability and fee within one business day
- Contract: Standard speaker agreement provided
Everything you need to book.
Speaker One Sheet
Downloadable PDF. Biography, keynote descriptions, credential summary, and booking contact. Ready for your internal review and committee approval.
Download PDF →High-Resolution Photo
Official speaker portrait for programs, event websites, and conference materials. Email your request and receive within one business day.
Request headshot →Introduction Script
A ready-to-use MC introduction — 90-second and 3-minute versions available. Accurate, credentialed, and designed to build anticipation without giving away the music.
Request introduction →What planners usually ask.
How quickly will we hear back?
Within one business day — with availability and a fee, not a brochure.
Does every format include live music?
The standard Keynote and Virtual Keynote make live music optional. Keynote + Performance, the Half-Day Session, Staff Development Day, and Dr. Adams House Party LIVE™ all include it — see the Formats & Logistics table above.
What does the tech rider require?
A full keyboard setup, PA, and monitor mix for any format with live music, plus standard conference AV for slides and video. Full details are provided with the run-of-show.
When do we receive the run-of-show?
30 days before the event.
Can Dr. Adams present virtually?
Yes — a 45–60 minute Virtual Keynote is available for remote and hybrid audiences.
Not sure which format fits our event?
Select "Not sure — advise me" on the booking inquiry below, or schedule a 15-minute call.
Plan Your Event
Once you are considering or confirming an engagement, use the Dr. Adams Global Event Planning Guide to align the run of show, audience outcomes, music, AV, stage flow, travel, books, media, and day-of logistics.
Return completed guide to: dradams@dradamsglobal.com
Check availability.
Tell us about the event. You will get a response within one business day — with a fee, not a brochure.
Prefer to call first? Reach the Dr. Adams Global booking team at contact page or schedule a 15-minute call.