Music Conference in Mountjoy Prison shines a light on the value of musical collaboration to support education and social change
SOLAS/22.05.2024
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Music is a powerful vehicle for catalysing social change, and for supporting education and collaboration. That’s according to SOLAS, the state agency responsible for Further Education and Training (FET) in Ireland, who hosted the ‘PROS and CONS: A Symposium on Music and Incarceration’ event inside the Progression Unit in Mountjoy Prison.
The event was a collaborative initiative between the InHouse Harmony Choir in partnership with SOLAS, the Irish Prison Service and the Prisons of Note (University of Oslo) project. The event, the first of its kind in Ireland, brought together the voices of musicians in prison and their musical collaborators with academic experts to explore the benefits of making music together in the prison environment. It also highlighted the benefits of this collaborative work for all involved.
The InHouse Harmony choir, which is SOLAS’ inside/outside choir collaboration at Mountjoy Prison celebrated an important milestone of five years in existence with performances from choir members including men serving sentences in the Progression Unit in Mountjoy Prison and SOLAS employees.
Commenting on the event, Caroline Jones, People Engagement Manager at SOLAS and InHouse Harmony choir leader said:
“We are delighted to have the opportunity to highlight the importance of music as a means of collaboration within the prison environment, and the progressive work that is taking place in the Mountjoy Prison, particularly through initiatives such as our InHouse Harmony choir. The choir is a vital initiative that has had a powerful impact on all participants – including those in custody and our SOLAS staff.”
Highlighting the value of collaboration between those in custody and those in the community she continued: “Our collaborative partnership with the Irish Prison Service and the Prisons of Note project has been transformative for SOLAS and we hope to continue working together in the future.”
InHouse Harmony Choir member in custody at the Progression Unit at Mountjoy Prison shares his experience:
“As a choir, we are a group who represent the best in society. Some reach in to show openness, forgiveness and love. Others reach out to show openness, hope and love. Together, we show society as a whole, every life event, positive and negative, every socio-economic background, every province in our country is represented. We come together to create something beautiful. Our music, friendship and our community is beautiful, open and we are glad to share it. We hope that those who see, hear or experience us sharing this can gain some insight in to and share in the joy and love.”
Director General of the Irish Prison Service, Caron McCaffrey said:
“I am hugely proud of the transformative power that music holds within our prisons. Events like this showcase the positive impact of creative initiatives while fostering rehabilitation and community integration. The new album written, recorded, and produced by the prisoners and teachers in the Progression Unit is encouraging and ultimately supports the important work being done across the criminal justice system to help build safer communities for all.”
Governor of Mountjoy Prison, Ray Murtagh stated,
“I am delighted to host such a unique event as this. The collaboration between Mountjoy Prison, SOLAS, InHouse Harmony Choir and the Prisons of Note project gives rise to the creative talents of those in our custody but also underscores the profound impact music has on individuals in general, offering them hope, healing, and a sense of purpose while serving out their prison sentence."
University of Oslo musicologist and Prisons of Note project leader Dr. Áine Mangaoang, co-organizer of the symposium, concluded:
“It is a privilege to collaborate with the InHouse Harmony Choir, SOLAS and the Irish Prison Service on this special event, the first of its kind in Ireland. There are multiple benefits to including music and music-making in Irish prisons, which this event highlights. These benefits are often framed in terms of individual rehabilitation, but this event also demonstrates the potential of musical and artistic collaboration to build community across prison walls, support reintegration after punishment, and bring much-needed change to harmful systems.”
The event included an album launch of The Progression Sessions, with original songs composed by musicians in the Progression Unit at Mountjoy and was part of the international conference on Narrative Inquiry in Music Education (NIME9) at Dublin City University.
About the InHouse Harmony Choir
The InHouse Harmony Choir is an inside/outside choir whose members include men serving sentences and employees of SOLAS, the agency that oversees further education and training in Ireland. InHouse Harmony will celebrate their five-year milestone with the performance of a live, creative documentary performance that they have developed with director Oonagh Murphy, that maps their journey together since the beginning.
About The Progression Sessions
The Progression Sessions is a brand-new album of original songs written, recorded, and produced by the students and teachers of the Progression Unit School, Mountjoy (City of Dublin Education and Training Board) All proceeds from the album, which showcases the talent and diversity of the music students, will go to the charity St Vincent de Paul. The album is available to stream and download via:
About the Prisons of Note project
Prisons of Note is a four-year research project based at the University of Oslo led by Dr. Áine Mangaoang and Dr. Lucy Cathcart Frödén, investigating experiences of and approaches to music in prisons in Norway, Ireland and Iceland. Through listening to the perspectives of people in prison, as well as staff and other stakeholders, the project sets out to better understand music and incarceration to build a comprehensive understanding of music’s potential in contexts of crime, harm, punishment, rehabilitation, and restorative justice.