We are fortunate enough to be one of the chosen partners for the University of Oxford Music in the Community module. As part of this, students are connected to community music making projects within the local area. As part of our recent visit to HMP Long Lartin, a number of these students were able to join us. Hanna, currently studying this module, let us know her thoughts after the visit.
What’s your name and what/where do you study?
My name is Hanna and I study Music.
What is the Music in the Community module?
'Music in the Community' is a module that connects students with community music projects and encourages them to engage with music as a key to wellbeing and develops their knowledge about the field.
What drew you to the Sing Inside placement?
I was curious to explore the way in which music could make a difference in such a different environment.
How did the musical leadership training prepare you for a prison visit? What did you find useful?
We had a training session during which we practiced the activities we were going to do in the prison, as well as getting to know the people we were going to go with. We received various email with information and also had a briefing the day before the visit.
How did you find the experience of going into the prison? How did you feel beforehand?
I was a bit nervous the day before but as soon as we were with the group of volunteers I felt more at ease and was excited. I found the experience very inspiring, fun, and also tiring!
What was the schedule for the day? What was performed and who was leading the sessions?
The day began with coffee and getting to know everyone a little. We then did various musical warm-up activities, which made everyone feel more at ease. These were led by Colin, the volunteer leader, as well as students. We then started learning one of the songs we had prepared, with one of the students playing piano and two of the participants playing the guitar and percussion. We had a lunch break and then we started the session with rounds and continued learning another two songs.
