Health promotion in tertiary music institutions: a position paper

Abstract

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.

Metadata

Item Type:	Article
Authors/Creators:	Matei, Raluca Ackermann, B. Allen, J. Alpagut, U. Ananda-Owens, K. Araújo, L. S. Arnold, R. Árnason, K. Babyak, T. Baroody, M. Kochem, F. Barreto Bastepe-Gray, S. Behel, K. Beuschau, K. R. Bidlack, M. Blouin, C. Bull, A. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2732-3240 Bush, A. Callan-Harris, S. Chesky, K. Chi, J. Y. Chiu, R. Cornett, V. Cortesi, M. (mc1739@york.ac.uk) Couth, S. Détári, A. Devadas, U. Doğantan-Dack, M. Dunbar, S. Ege, G. Evans, A. Frost, M. Fujimoto, M. Garden, P. Gilchrist, D. Gilbert, D. Ginsborg, J. Gooding, L. Grau-Sánchez, J. Gregory, S. Greasley, A. Guptill, C. Habe, K. Habron-James, J. Herman, R. (reyme.herman@york.ac.uk) Hildebrandt, H. Hoffman, I. B. Hunt, J. Immerz, A. Ingle, M. Joukamo-Ampuja, E. Kekenadze Gustafsson, I. Koivisto, T. A. Kurzbauer, H. Laursen, A. Lee, A. (afl2@york.ac.uk) Leclair, G. Leech-Wilkinson, D. Lewis, M. Li, S. A. (sl1361@york.ac.uk) Liley, K. Lim, H. Lubert, V. J. Lubet, A. Mamou, T. McCrary, J. M. Monterroso, I. Morijiri, Y. Mornell, A. Mulvey, V. Musgrave, G. Norton, N. (naomi.norton@york.ac.uk) O’Brien, I. Ornoy, E. Osborne, M. S. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9941-4531 Palac, J. Palmer, T. Panebianco, C. Perkins, R. Phillips, K. Postu, A. Rennie-Salonen, B. Ripani, G. Robinson, M. Rose, D. Saglamer, S. Savvidou, P. Sawicka, K. Schiavio, A. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8109-9185 Schmalenberger, S. Schmidtmann, G. Stachó, L. Şen, L. Sheren, J. Tan Shoebridge, A. Shoda, H. Sivan, N. Smith, L. (las624@york.ac.uk) Spira, A. Stam, E. Steemers, S. Stryker, M. Stubbe, J. Su, Y. H. Sunandan Honisch, S. Suzuki, A. Taylor, M. S. (melissa.taylor@york.ac.uk) Techamanapong, J. Toma, I. Türk-Espitalier, A. Vasilyeva, L. Vernia-Carrasco, A. M. Wagner, I. Walsh, S. Wijsman, S. Williamon, A. Wristen, B. Yang, J. M. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8323-7406 Ying, J. Yoshie, M. Young, B. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6451-9360 Hatfield, Jack
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information:	© 2026 The Author(s).
Keywords:	arts education,arts policy,cultural policy,Institutional culture,professional advocacy
Dates:	Accepted: 2026 Published (online): 30 August 2026
Institution:	The University of York
Academic Units:	The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Physics (York) The University of York > Faculty of Social Sciences (York) > Education (York) The University of York > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (York) > Music (York) The University of York > Faculty of Social Sciences (York) > Sociology (York) The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Chemistry (York) The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Biology (York) The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Electronic Engineering (York) The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Computer Science (York) The University of York > Faculty of Social Sciences (York) > Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (York) The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Health Sciences (York)
Date Deposited:	24 Sep 2026 14:10
Last Modified:	18 Oct 2026 23:44
Published Version:	https://doi.org/10.1080/10632913.2026.2720853
Status:	Published online
Refereed:	Yes
Identification Number:	10.1080/10632913.2026.2720853
Related URLs:	https://www.scopus.com/pages/publication...
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID):	oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:245914

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Health promotion in tertiary music institutions: a position paper

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