Many students in my "Music and Healing" course played in school bands and orchestras, or sang in choral and musical-theater productions. But almost none of them still sing or play the piano or violin.

They have become too busy with demanding academics, clubs or competitive sports. I try to reignite their interest because I believe in the value of musical creativity to balance the individual, to relieve stress and to fire the imagination — all things that college students desperately need.

Recent research supports this thinking. Yet most colleges provide precious few opportunities, except in audition-based college choirs and instrumental ensembles.

Current standards set by the National Association of Schools of Music for college music degree programs acknowledge the value of teaching improvisation to music students, who "must acquire a rudimentary capacity to create original or derivative music."

But what about the value of recreational music-making, which is widely believed to improve physical and psychological well-being? Studies show that this kind of informal music "alters gene expression pathways in patients with coronary heart disease" and is useful for "promoting brain plasticity across the life span."

Read the source article about the importance of music courses by Mona Kreitner at The Hechinger Report.