Curriculum-integrated music practice enhances medical student well-being and interpersonal skills

Many medical students incorporate music in their daily lives, however opportunities to engage with music within the curriculum are rare. This mixed-methods study explores the experiences of medical students who participated in a semester-long, performance-focused 'Music for Health' elective at an Australian University, including benefits and challenges perceived by students.

Data were collected over a three-year period, from six cohorts (2018-2023) of students who participated in the elective during the second year of their medical degree. Twenty-one (21) students who participated in the elective between 2021 and 2023 completed an online survey, from which data were analysed using descriptive statistics and deductive content analysis. Meanwhile, eleven (11) students who participated between 2018 and 2020 granted access to written reflections, which formed the basis for an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).

Survey data suggested that most students (>80%) perceived benefits to their mental health and communication and teamwork skills from participating in the elective. Content analysis of 'benefits' and 'challenges' described in survey data supported the validity of six themes identified through the IPA: Therapeutic potential of music; Personal well-being and mental health; Emotions and human connection; Transferable skills; My relationship with music; and Camaraderie through musical collaboration. From themes identified two Global Meaning Units were constructed: (1) Music supports personal and social well-being and (2) Emotional connection through music enhances relationships.

The results of this study suggest that medical students' participation in curricular music ensemble performance can serve as a medium for teamwork and collaborative problem-solving, developing 'performance skills' such as adaptability and dealing with nerves in a context of peer support. Facilitating student-patient interaction through music can also support students to recognise and value the social and emotional dimensions of medicine practice.