Kourtney Austin delivers a compelling argument for mandatory occupational health instruction as a foundational element of music school curricula. Sharing stories and outcomes from a required course at the University of North Texas, Austin, shows that teaching health from freshman year empowers students to recognize risks, prevent harm, break cycles of overuse and silence, and see wellbeing as central to musical excellence. Her message: health is not an elective, it’s the plate everything else rests on. Making health and harm prevention standard in the curriculum is not just protective, it’s transformative for music culture, outcomes, and careers.