‘Change comes from me’: music students’ health and institutional culture in higher education music institutions – a qualitative study in Eastern Europe

Students in higher education music institutions (HEMIs) struggle with a variety of health-related issues. However, qualitative explorations of their perspectives around their own health, particularly in Eastern Europe, are missing. This study explored students’ accounts of health and wellbeing in an Eastern European HEMI context. Forty-three semi-structured interviews were conducted with undergraduate, postgraduate, and recent graduates of HEMIs. Transcripts were analysed via template analysis. Identified themes span from individual behaviours to music education, the educational infrastructure, social support, the musicians’ role in society, and ideology. One of six themes is reported in this paper: The institutional culture: competition, bias, and constraints, with its three sub-themes: (1) Navigating individualism and institutional networks; (2) Authority and bias in educational relationships; and (3) Elitism and narrow focus in HEMIs. Students’ accounts of abuse, discrimination, and neglect depict environments steeped in competition, bias, and exclusion – directly challenging assumptions that higher music education is supportive or meritocratic. These practices shape professional identity while eroding wellbeing. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive qualitative study to examine musicians’ broader views of health and wellbeing in Eastern Europe.