President University Supports Student Mental Health through Music

  

A university’s role is not only to educate and provide a place for students to learn, but also to support their mental health. This is precisely what President University (Presuniv) is doing through President University Lyrics Unplugged (PULU) with Paul Partohap: A Mini Concert Experience. The PULU event was held on Wednesday afternoon, November 6, 2024, in the Theater Room, President University Convention Center, Jl. H. Usmar Ismail, Kota Jababeka, Cikarang.

Besides supporting mental health, Presuniv’s Rector Handa S. Abidin emphasized that playing or enjoying music can also balance students’ left- and right-brain abilities. This music activity, Handa explained, is also based on an internal survey conducted by Presuniv. “According to the survey results, 90% of students believe that listening to music, including attending concerts, positively impacts their mental health,” said Handa. He added that this was the motivation behind Presuniv’s organization of the mini concert with Paul Partohap.

Hary Wisnu Yuniarta, Presuniv’s Director of Music, echoed this sentiment, stating, “Music triggers a lot of creativity.” He added that creativity plays a significant role in students’ learning processes. “At Presuniv, we also use music to encourage students to feel confident performing in public,” Hary said.

Orchestra Class

Alongside Hary, Presuniv holds regular sessions called orchestra classes. In these sessions, students regularly learn to play various musical instruments and are encouraged to showcase their musical skills publicly. One example of this is performing music in the campus lobby.

Paul Partohap, the musician featured in this mini concert, appreciated these initiatives. He shared his own experience during his medical studies at Hamburg University, Germany. “Outside of academics, I discovered that I had various interests and passions, one of which was music. So, even while studying to become a doctor, I continued to nurture these interests,” Paul said.

Paul also developed another skill: video editing. Coincidentally, his friend at the time was a content creator. “Helping my friend allowed me to practice my video editing skills,” Paul explained. That friend, Gita Savitri, is now Paul’s wife.

Thanks to his interests in music and video editing, Paul now has multiple skills, being a musician, singer, composer, video editor, and doctor. With these skills, Paul has greater flexibility in his career path. This is the message he shared with Presuniv students attending the PULU mini concert: “Use your university years to explore what you want to do,” Paul advised. However, he reminded them that gaining diverse skills takes effort. “It can be done if students are willing to work hard and continually hone their skills and creativity,” he concluded.