In recent years, China has sought the integration of aesthetic education into nonart disciplines in its higher education policy to promote emotional, cultural, and interdisciplinary development. The aim of this study was to investigate the implementation, experience, and perception of vocal music courses by students and instructors and to evaluate their contributions to future healthcare professionals’ communication skills, empathy, and overall well-being. The research sites were Chongqing Medical and Pharmaceutical College and five other medical colleges. Data were collected through a mixed methods approach, including a questionnaire survey with 50 students taking elective vocal music classes, focus group interviews with 9 representative students, in-depth interviews with 8 key informants, field observations, and an analysis of institutional documents. The quantitative data are presented in pie charts, whereas the qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis. The results indicated strong intrinsic motivations, a preference for pop and folk genres, varied participation levels, practice time and insufficient infrastructure to support and address routine difficulties. Students preferred interactive teaching over lectures. The study recommends improving practice settings, adding relevant cultural materials, and using blended instructional strategies to address identified issues. These findings emphasize the practicality of vocal music for interdisciplinary development in medical education and provide useful recommendations for curriculum changes and policy development.
Yao et al. (Tue,) studied this question.