SU COPVA faculty members lead workshop; students present paper at int’l conference

Two faculty members and a group of students represented Silliman University (SU) College of Performing and Visual Arts (COPVA) at the 5th International Conference on Qualitative Research in Nursing, Health, and Social Sciences held on December 4-5, 2023 at the Supreme Hotel Convention Plaza, Baguio City.

Dr. Elizabeth Susan Vista-Suarez, dean of COPVA, and Asst. Prof. Danielle Elise Zamar-Alcantara, a faculty member, facilitated a workshop on the power of music and how it can be used as a caring expression in the practice of nursing intervention during patient care. They also introduced music strategies and songs that can be used in specific situations.

Zamar-Alcantara and her students in the bachelor’s degree in music program (majoring in music therapy) of COPVA, Evangelle Cabading, Khristine Angela Mercado, and Hershey Permano, also did a poster presentation of their paper, “Effects of Music Listening as a Coping Strategy of Music Students and Students of Nursing: A Comparative Study,” which investigated how music can be used by music and nursing students to combat stress.

SU is among the few schools in the Philippines to offer music therapy. It is the only one that offers it as a degree program at the COPVA.

The international conference is an annual event that gathers researchers, students, and practitioners to discuss their projects. This year, it was hosted by Saint Louis University, spearheaded by the Nursing Program of the School of Nursing, Allied Health, and Biological Sciences (SONAHBS), in partnership with the School of Advanced Studies (SAS), School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts (STELA), the University Research and Innovation Center (UnRIC), the Office of Global Relations and Alumni Affairs (OGRAA), and the Technology Management and Development Department (TMDD).