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“When the music started, the prison walls disappeared.” In a recent issue of the “Walker Talker”, the in-house Walker State Prison newspaper, one author attested to the work and broad impact Arts Capacity programming has on the culture at Walker State when they wrote that the work of Arts Capacity is “transforming the culture inside the prison.” In another article written about a recent recital of ours they wrote, “When the music started, the prison walls disappeared.” It went on, “The first composition involved the violin, piano, and saxophone. The sounds, feelings, and images that …

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It’s been nearly a month since performing a recital in Walker State Faith and Character Based Prison. The experience was no doubt memorable, but after finally reading all of the surveys prisoners filled out and notes jotted down by prisoner mentor, Alan Bonderud, it was clear we had something uniquely special. The reoccurring theme on the prisoners’ surveys was the impact they felt sharing their emotions or interpretations while experiencing each musical work. There was a distinct value placed on the living composers works and that sentiment was also mentioned a number of times within the surveys. …

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