Missouri Training Center for Men/The Prodigals- Moberly, MO 1963-1987
Director: Chaplain Earl Grandstaff (1963-1966)
Assistant Director: Lesie Sheard (inmate)
Recording of "This is the Way I Pray" from The Prodigals, Prisoners at Prayer
http://forums.ssrc.org/ndsp/2013/11/19/the-prodigals-choir-of-the-missouri-medium-security-prison-this-is-the-way-i-pray-n-d/
Director Bio:
Chaplain Grandstaff was "a seasoned veteran of both military and correctional chaplaincy" (Richmiller, 1992, p. 5.) He was very interested in the rehabilitative effect a choir could have on the inmates. At the time of the study that cronicles this choir (Richmiller 1992), Chaplain Grandstaff was still in contact with 8 of his former choir members, now free men.
Choir Details:
Composed of 40 men, the Prodigals were a choir of half african american and half caucasion men. The prison was newly integrated at the time and there was an argument within the choir about wanting to separate to which Grandstaff replied that they either all sang together or no one sang at all. No man was required to have any formal music training, but each was auditioned for singing ability and attitude. Rehearsals were 1 1/2 hours, 5 days a week. The rehearsal included music appreciation, rhythm drills and reading, ear training exercises, tone matching, tone production lessons, concentration on blend, chordal harmony singing, and daily practice for individuals, small groups, and the ensemble. The Choir sang in 4 part harmony and the music was taught by rote. Guest choirs would come to perform and to give constructive criticism. The Prodigals would be invited to sing in area churches, prisons, schools and universities. Over 1000 people attended their first performance at a local church. After 1979, the prison no longer allowed the choir to travel. Chaplain Grandstaff offered the prisoners supplimental piano, voice and music reading lessons in addition to their regular choir rehearsals. The choir primarily sang hymns and spirituals. The directors allowed prisoners to chose songs from their childhood for the choir to sing. Leslie Sheard (inmate director) developed many of the arrangements,. Although he could not read music, he would arrange the pieces on the piano into 4 part harmony by ear (Richmiller, 1992).
Director: Chaplain Earl Grandstaff (1963-1966)
Assistant Director: Lesie Sheard (inmate)
Recording of "This is the Way I Pray" from The Prodigals, Prisoners at Prayer
http://forums.ssrc.org/ndsp/2013/11/19/the-prodigals-choir-of-the-missouri-medium-security-prison-this-is-the-way-i-pray-n-d/
Director Bio:
Chaplain Grandstaff was "a seasoned veteran of both military and correctional chaplaincy" (Richmiller, 1992, p. 5.) He was very interested in the rehabilitative effect a choir could have on the inmates. At the time of the study that cronicles this choir (Richmiller 1992), Chaplain Grandstaff was still in contact with 8 of his former choir members, now free men.
Choir Details:
Composed of 40 men, the Prodigals were a choir of half african american and half caucasion men. The prison was newly integrated at the time and there was an argument within the choir about wanting to separate to which Grandstaff replied that they either all sang together or no one sang at all. No man was required to have any formal music training, but each was auditioned for singing ability and attitude. Rehearsals were 1 1/2 hours, 5 days a week. The rehearsal included music appreciation, rhythm drills and reading, ear training exercises, tone matching, tone production lessons, concentration on blend, chordal harmony singing, and daily practice for individuals, small groups, and the ensemble. The Choir sang in 4 part harmony and the music was taught by rote. Guest choirs would come to perform and to give constructive criticism. The Prodigals would be invited to sing in area churches, prisons, schools and universities. Over 1000 people attended their first performance at a local church. After 1979, the prison no longer allowed the choir to travel. Chaplain Grandstaff offered the prisoners supplimental piano, voice and music reading lessons in addition to their regular choir rehearsals. The choir primarily sang hymns and spirituals. The directors allowed prisoners to chose songs from their childhood for the choir to sing. Leslie Sheard (inmate director) developed many of the arrangements,. Although he could not read music, he would arrange the pieces on the piano into 4 part harmony by ear (Richmiller, 1992).
Warren County Correctional Facility/Umoja (Unity) Choir Lebanon, Ohio
Director Dr. Catherine Roma (Music Director at Wilmington College)
Director Dr. Catherine Roma (Music Director at Wilmington College)
"A dedicated and enthusiastic group of incarcerated men—African-American and white, Christian and Muslim—gather each week to rehearse and sing together. Much of the music is composed and arranged by the inmates themselves." (http://www.interkultur.com/your-region/north-america/musical-advisory-committee-for-the-world-choir-games-2012-cincinnati-usa/dr-catherine-roma-dma/)
Oakdale Community Choir, Iowa Medical and Classification Center (IMCC) in Coralville,Iowa
Director: Mary Cohen
Video Link: http://www.uiowa.edu/~fyi/issues/issues2008_v45/04132009/photos/OakdaleCommunityChoir/index.html
Director Bio:
Mary Cohen was an Elementary Music Teacher when she attended an East Hill Singers prison choir concert. (This choir is profiled below)
She was interested in the idea of community members singing with inmates and the potential outcomes of the programs. She began to research prison choirs while working on her PhD in Music Education at the University of Kansas. She spent some time volunteering with the East Hill Singers and wrote her doctoral dissertation creating a theory of choral singing pedagogy for prison choirs. She then moved to Iowa for a position as Assistant Professor at Iowa University and made arrangements with the IMMC (Oakdale Prison) to start a choral program there. She was inspired by the East Hill Singers inclusion of community members from the "outside" so continued with this model.
Choir Bio:
Began in February 2009. Roughly 20-25 male inmates and equal male community members. Underpinning philosophy of the OCC is Ubantu, ancan concept meaning "a person is a person through other people" (Cohen and Silverman, 2009)
Details:
The choir meets once a week for 90 minutes. Cohen tries to help the group develop a social as well as a musical identity by providing opportunities for the innmates to share through reflective writing assignments. She begins and ends the class with a opening song and a closing song that are about beauty. The opener is about recognizing beauty in one's own life and the closer is about wishing for beauty in others lives. Cohen beleives that these songs help faciliatate social identity within the group based on the reflective writings she receives. Cohen also gives writing assignments based on readings that are optional and then encourages innmates to read another's writing and respond. She feels that this helps keep the group somewhat cohesive even outside of the rehearsal time. The group performs two concerts each choir season. One concert is for prisoners and a few outside guests and the other is for the prisoners' family members and other outside guests. Each prisoner can invite up to two guests. The prisoner's are not allowed to have any physical interactions such as shaking hands or hugging with their families at the performance. The concerts are audio recorded and CDs are sent to the prisoners' families. (Cohen and Silverman, 2009) (Gray 2008)
Director: Mary Cohen
Video Link: http://www.uiowa.edu/~fyi/issues/issues2008_v45/04132009/photos/OakdaleCommunityChoir/index.html
Director Bio:
Mary Cohen was an Elementary Music Teacher when she attended an East Hill Singers prison choir concert. (This choir is profiled below)
She was interested in the idea of community members singing with inmates and the potential outcomes of the programs. She began to research prison choirs while working on her PhD in Music Education at the University of Kansas. She spent some time volunteering with the East Hill Singers and wrote her doctoral dissertation creating a theory of choral singing pedagogy for prison choirs. She then moved to Iowa for a position as Assistant Professor at Iowa University and made arrangements with the IMMC (Oakdale Prison) to start a choral program there. She was inspired by the East Hill Singers inclusion of community members from the "outside" so continued with this model.
Choir Bio:
Began in February 2009. Roughly 20-25 male inmates and equal male community members. Underpinning philosophy of the OCC is Ubantu, ancan concept meaning "a person is a person through other people" (Cohen and Silverman, 2009)
Details:
The choir meets once a week for 90 minutes. Cohen tries to help the group develop a social as well as a musical identity by providing opportunities for the innmates to share through reflective writing assignments. She begins and ends the class with a opening song and a closing song that are about beauty. The opener is about recognizing beauty in one's own life and the closer is about wishing for beauty in others lives. Cohen beleives that these songs help faciliatate social identity within the group based on the reflective writings she receives. Cohen also gives writing assignments based on readings that are optional and then encourages innmates to read another's writing and respond. She feels that this helps keep the group somewhat cohesive even outside of the rehearsal time. The group performs two concerts each choir season. One concert is for prisoners and a few outside guests and the other is for the prisoners' family members and other outside guests. Each prisoner can invite up to two guests. The prisoner's are not allowed to have any physical interactions such as shaking hands or hugging with their families at the performance. The concerts are audio recorded and CDs are sent to the prisoners' families. (Cohen and Silverman, 2009) (Gray 2008)
East Hill Singers-Lansing Correctional Facility-Lansing, Kansas 1995-Present
Director: Elvera Voth (1995-2008), Kirk Carson(2008-Present)
Director and Choir Bio:
Elvera Voth had experience of doing community sing alongs, one previously with Robert Shaw. Both had strong feelings that music could be " a vehicle to transform lives and prompt social change." (Cohen, 2008 p. 2) In Voth's retirement she decided to start a prison choir in Kansas at the Lansing Correctional Facility, a minimum security prison. She invited community members from a local church and singers form the Lyric Opera of Kansas City to sing with the prisoners at their first public concert because there were only 10 inmates approved to travel. The choir along with Voth and Shaw had a benefit sing along featuring the prison choir to bring awareness to and to raise founds for arts in prison. The event lead to the formation of the Art's in Prison" which along with Voth and Shaw contributed to " a powerful, grass-roots movement toward arts' based rehabiltation and corrections educaton in Kansas. The sing-along also inspired attendees to begin there own prison programs through "Art's in Prison, Inc." offering visual arts, memoir writing, photograhy, creative writing, guitar, peotyr, drama and may others. Also choirs were establised in the medium and maximum units at the Lansing, Kansas facility. (Cohen, 2008a, 2008b). Voth retired in 2008 and a former volunteer singer, Kirk Carson took over. "Arts in Prison", just released a documentary (trailer shown below) entitled "Conducting Hope" that cronicles the East Hilll Singers. More information about the documentary can be found at http://www.conductinghope.com/www.conductinghope.com/THE_MISSION.html
Director: Elvera Voth (1995-2008), Kirk Carson(2008-Present)
Director and Choir Bio:
Elvera Voth had experience of doing community sing alongs, one previously with Robert Shaw. Both had strong feelings that music could be " a vehicle to transform lives and prompt social change." (Cohen, 2008 p. 2) In Voth's retirement she decided to start a prison choir in Kansas at the Lansing Correctional Facility, a minimum security prison. She invited community members from a local church and singers form the Lyric Opera of Kansas City to sing with the prisoners at their first public concert because there were only 10 inmates approved to travel. The choir along with Voth and Shaw had a benefit sing along featuring the prison choir to bring awareness to and to raise founds for arts in prison. The event lead to the formation of the Art's in Prison" which along with Voth and Shaw contributed to " a powerful, grass-roots movement toward arts' based rehabiltation and corrections educaton in Kansas. The sing-along also inspired attendees to begin there own prison programs through "Art's in Prison, Inc." offering visual arts, memoir writing, photograhy, creative writing, guitar, peotyr, drama and may others. Also choirs were establised in the medium and maximum units at the Lansing, Kansas facility. (Cohen, 2008a, 2008b). Voth retired in 2008 and a former volunteer singer, Kirk Carson took over. "Arts in Prison", just released a documentary (trailer shown below) entitled "Conducting Hope" that cronicles the East Hilll Singers. More information about the documentary can be found at http://www.conductinghope.com/www.conductinghope.com/THE_MISSION.html
CONDUCTING HOPE TRAILER from Margie Friedman on Vimeo.
San Quentin Prison Gospel Choir