Health promotion in tertiary music institutions: a position paper

Health promotion in tertiary music education lacks shared guidance despite rising concern for musicians’ well-being. This position paper addresses that gap with a consensus-based, evidence-informed framework developed by 122 contributors across six continents and a variety of disciplines, including musicians and student representatives. It advances a broad understanding of health—physical, psychological, social, cultural, and occupational—and positions health promotion as integral to musicking rather than an add-on. We offer seven adaptable recommendations for institutions: (1) Reframe musicianship through health-informed cultural transformation; (2) Transform institutional culture and governance; (3) Collaborate across disciplines and expertise; (4) Equip educators, leaders, and staff to promote health; (5) Empower students as agents of change; (6) Build a health-informed music curriculum; and (7) Establish health education as core requirement. To support implementation, the paper outlines concise curriculum content areas (e.g., mental, physical, hearing, and vocal health; disability and neurodivergence; critical thinking and artistic identity; professional advocacy) and learning outcomes mapped to Bloom’s taxonomy, progressing from awareness to application, evaluation, and creation. Designed for contextual adaptation, the framework enables institutions to improve student and staff well-being, enhance educational quality, and model a more inclusive, sustainable music ecosystem.