We Need Instruments and Equipment for our Musician-In-Residence
We have partial funding to place a Musician-In-Residence into two prisons in the Staffordshire/Derbyshire area,
HMP Drake Hall and HMP Fosten Hall.
Music and Mentoring helps people in prison begin a journey of change and exploration in music, helping them toward rehabilitation and reducing crime.
“Playing in the concerts greatly improved my self-confidence. Working with other prisoners has enhanced my teamwork skills and opened up friendships.” ( Participant 2016)
We need Instruments and Equipment
Our Musicians cannot do their job effectively without the right equipment.
We need basic things like
Acoustic Guitars
Music Stands
Straps and Strings
Keyboards and Stands
PA speakers
Microphones
Cables and leads
If we can raise this money our Musician will be setup to carry out the work and give people life changing opportunities to learn a skill, to express themselves, write their story and develop a creative side to their lives that may never have been possible before.
What do we do?
Music and Mentoring: changes lives in prison
Changing Tunes uses music to help rehabilitate prisoners and ex-prisoners. We use music teaching, rehearsing, recording, improvisation and composition to foster improvement in attitudes and self-esteem, building resilience.
Our work acknowledges the current challenges faced by both staff and prisoners in our prisons and the lack of resources available to complete meaningful rehabilitative work with prisoners, augmenting the suite of programmes and interventions currently available to prisoners.
The Prison Reform Trust highlighted in their 'Time to Learn' publication from 2002 that
“the [prison] curriculum broadly ignores the positive contribution creative education – e.g. art, music, dance, and drama – can have when dealing with very damaged individuals with low self-esteem.” (Julia Baggins, 2002).
In an in-depth independent study of our work in 2015 leading criminologist and desistance theorist Professor Shadd Maruna, was able to evidence that musical training for prisoner participants in the Changing Tunes approach acted as a medium for self-discovery and self-expression, supporting re-framing of criminal identity towards citizenship.
In prison
We recruit highly skilled musicians, who understand both the power of music to unlock and release the deep seated issues which often underpin offending behaviour, but are also trained to act as professional mentors to inspire and to motivate throughout the change process.
Inside the prison, Changing Tunes musicians lead weekly 2½ hour sessions, which see prisoners learning, performing and recording various types of music. On average, five to six prisoners attend each session. They attend over a period of six months, building highly positive mentoring relationships with our musicians, who are crucial to our success in reducing re-offending.
The need for such work is reflected by a 2014 report for the Centre of Social Justice, which stated,
“the mentoring of offenders is one of the most promising pathways to rehabilitation.”
Changing Tunes’ music sessions encourage teamwork and nurture self-confidence and self-exploration in safe spaces through the medium of music, both popular and classical.
Out of prison
Our work critically continues post release, bridging the transition through the gate which can be especially unsettling for prisoners as they seek to navigate the challenges of finding work, finding accommodation and rebuilding relationships. Our work in developing a widespread network of local partners is critical to building awareness in wider communities of the issues faced by prisoners on release and encouraging them to approach this issue with understanding.
We offer a stable and consistent support programme designed to build confidence, provide purpose and support the commitment to change in our participants, all of which are crucial to breaking the cycle of re-offending. Such work takes the form of 1-1 meetings, group music sessions and also supporting our community partners to hold a community concert, thereby introducing our participants to new and supportive (often faith-based) communities who can support released prisoners to develop new friendships and ease social isolation. Our Changing Tunes musician-mentors model healthy and boundaried relationships, and offer hope and support, as well as direct assistance in accessing benefits, employment and housing.
Find Us and Help Us:
We'd really appreciate it and so would the Women in these Prisons!
If you want to find out more about us and how you can help us check out our Facebook and Twitter channels. or go to our website