"Flourishing with music": From music students to well-rounded musicians of the 21st century

Abstract

People need music to sing, dance, play, work and listen to during a substantial part of their daily lives. Musicians understand and communicate life through music, a form of art that individuals and societies treasure. Tertiary music educators invest time and energy in order to assist music students in creating their own successful careers, but do their teaching and learning include holistic education approaches that develop the student into a well-rounded person? As a "think piece", this article advocates a few important perspectives that will encourage undergraduate music educators to structure a music programme that will prepare music students to flourish in their lives and future work place. 21st-century skills for living and lifelong learning recommended by researchers, business leaders and education specialists are acknowledged and related to the challenges of teaching music as a well-rounded person. Wellbeing, flow and mindfulness are aspects that open up other dimensions such as meaningfulness and spirituality.