HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS: WAY OF SURVIVAL/EXISTENCE THROUGH A MUSIC THERAPY EXTENSION PROJECT AT A BRAZILIAN PUBLIC UNIVERSITY

Abstract

Violence against women is above all, a violation of human rights. Being a violation of human rights, it becomes a problem that concerns everyone as a commitment of the society as a whole. Among students at Brazilian Universities, there are women who have experienced stories of violence. This article presents results from an extension and research project developed at a public University in Southern Brazil, where Music Therapy Meetings for those students were conducted. The goal of the project was to understand the issues that have been emerged at the Music Therapy Meetings attended by Higher Education students who suffered violence. This is a qualitative and exploratory research which involved the participation of six Higher Education students in Music Therapy Meetings over a period of nine months. The data analysis was based on the meaning cores, and the results indicate that the musical experiences intertwined in group interactions during Music Therapy Meetings, expanded the field of possibilities for these students' ways of being and collaborated to create other meanings for their existence, increasing their action’s potential. This extension project being offered in a University environment has a paramount importance, due to its proximity to the students, and to the high value of the University in their existences, not only as a place for achieving scientific knowledge, but also for building social and emotional ties.