Group music-making with families affected by Zika virus in Brazil

Abstract

Abstract Chapter 12 explores how music-making can promote wellbeing for mothers of children affected by the Zika virus (ZIKV) in Brazil. An outbreak of ZIKV in 2015 had profound effects on children and families in the Northeast of Brazil, where hundreds of children exposed to the virus in utero were born with severe microcephaly, developmental delays, physical disabilities, and special educational needs, now classified under the term congenital Zika syndrome (CZS). This chapter introduces a six-week programme of group online music-making that was developed and run for mothers and their children with CZS, alongside interviews and video observations of music sessions. The learnings of the project are explored through two exploratory vignettes, highlighting the important role of music in everyday life and its potential to support some of the psychosocial needs of families affected by CZS.