Walker State Prison

Earlier this week was the 9th trip into Walker State Faith and Character Based Prison to present a recital. These recitals are interactive in that after each piece is performed, prisoners are invited to share their feelings, thoughts, impressions, and interpretations of the works. Musicians don’t share anything prior to performing. Instead we invite a way of listening that is has the suggestion: there are no right answers, there are no rules in interpreting the pieces. This non-profit, Arts Capacity, was started about two years ago now. During that time, we’ve invited world renowned composers …

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After a few performances in the prisons over the last two years, it became clear we were bringing an entirely new and important conversation to the forefront. The conversations were never planned out. They consisted of sharing some music with prisoners and listening to their impressions, opinions, and thoughts. Outcome and expectations instinctively followed Improv Rules, specifically “Stop planning the next thing you’re going to say and just listen to the person in front of you,” and “Yes, And.” The philosophy of Yes, And is where an idea builds incrementally using a collaborative ensemble approach. …

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It’s easy for me to write about my perspective during my performances in the prison. I share my point of view and snippets from prisoner surveys along with their quotes taken during our two-way discussions after each piece is performed. For the latest recital, I invited two composers and a few guests from the community to join me. I also asked a few of them to share their unique perspectives and thoughts to add a different vantage point: From composer Wang Jie: To some, prisoners are animals behind locked bars. To me, they are fellow …

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The first time I performed in prison we discovered prisoners put great value in sharing their opinions. They knew their thoughts would be shared directly with the composers of the works they heard and that made them feel like their opinions mattered. The second time I performed in prison we gained a deeper appreciation for the power of music, especially contemporary music. Hearing directly from the prisoners how new works evoked emotions and thoughts helped shape the planning for the third prison performance. The theme of the third performance was chosen by the prisoners: Love …

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