This article provides the results of a study that aimed to investigate whether – and how - the program Música Viva , carried out in a city of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, promotes the positive development of socially vulnerable adolescents. It is a qualitative study grounded on the presuppositions of the Bioecological Model of Human Development, proposed by Bronfenbrenner, and on Lerner’s Positive Youth Development Theory. The methodological procedures used in the investigation were participatory observation, field diary, semi-structured interview and content analysis. The results showed that the program fosters subjects’ positive development: by offering them free musical instrument lessons, it enables them to have access to culture and leisure. Therefore, the program provides broader possibilities for youths to exercise their citizenship, change their life trajectories, and develop in a healthy way.
Adolescence; Human development; Qualitative research