Health and Well-Being in Conservatory Music Students

This project is expansion on previous research that suggests the CRAFT program is a productive and feasible intervention to improve the health and well-being of student musicians in higher education. This study captures the perceived benefits from thirty-seven conservatory students who participated in the CRAFT program at their institutions.

The CRAFT acronym stands for Consciousness, Relaxation, Fulfillment, and Transcendence. This program draws upon yoga, mindfulness, positive psychology, and emotional intelligence. In addition to the benefits listed in the CRAFT acronym, participants cited other benefits including enhancing self-knowledge, self-awareness, empathy, and social skills.

Higher education students experience several struggles related to health and well-being, including high workload, burn out, musculoskeletal problems, and emotional distress. Many schools in the American PK-12 sector have adopted curricula, activities, and classroom strategies related to these issues. However, institutions of higher education are less commonly integrating these types of programs. The CRAFT program is an opportunity for positive emotional and physical health practices to continue for tertiary students, in particular, music majors. Creating positive habits can help young musicians find joy and success in music careers by providing them strategies for managing health and well-being.

As a yoga instructor, I have personally experienced the positive changes that come from practicing the CRAFT program or elements within it. It has significantly helped me find balance between my many roles (teacher, researcher, mom, friend, wife, etc.) and my commitment to my self and my well-being. I highly encourage all institutions of education to assist students in developing these skills through program implementation, and perhaps even more important, modeling.