Articles and features
2017
BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour feature, on our Lullaby Project, run in collaboration with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Resound, with migrant and refugee mothers from Praxis Community Projects WINGS group. Listen;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08xxdh5
Find out more about the Lullaby Project in Chicago below.
2016
BBC Radio 3 Music Matters feature, on our work in collaboration with contemporary composer Mark-Anthony Turnage, both in prisons and the community, including the recent Bridges project for our 21st Year and Beyond This for the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad – listen; http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b083qmvm
Watch the Bridges collaboration with composer Mark-Anthony Turnage, photographer Lizzie Coombes, and groups of musicians from our three programmes Music in Prisons, Sounding Out and Making Tracks below;
2015
Lullaby Project film – In March 2015, Artistic Director Sara Lee and project leader Nick Hayes travelled to Chicago to share their experience with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. During the visit, as well as collaborating on a project with young men in prison, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Negaunee Music Institute presented its second Lullaby Project in collaboration with Chicago Child Care Society (CCCS) and the Irene Taylor Trust. This short film follows the project in action.
2014
BBC World Service ‘World Update’ Weekly Feature, featuring participants from Sounding Out, Making Tracks and Artistic Director Sara Lee – listen; http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p020h27g
Prison Voices Project – From about 15 minutes in you can hear the producer Alexandra Cox discuss our work, play songs from our prison projects, clips of our participants talking on a BBC radio interview, and Artistic Director Sara Lee talking about projects – listen; http://www.wgxc.org/archives/8606
2013
Chicago Symphony Orchestra project
Short radio piece on our first project sharing our expertise with musicians from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra – listen; http://www.wbez.org/news/culture/chicago-symphony-orchestra-makes-music-teens-behind-bars-106766
‘Lisa, Cedric’s mom, could not contain herself. She cried, nodded her head and tapped her feet to the beat throughout the performance. “What this is (is) wonderful, I am so grateful, I am so ecstatic,” she said. “I’m looking at all the different instruments, and then I’m listening to the words which were deep, real deep, sad, and then it got better. And then it got great. And so it’s just a beautiful thing.”’ Listen.
RSPH (Royal Society for Public Health) Arts and Health Award – article on 2013 award winners, including us; read here.
2012
Sounding Out ex-prisoner programme
Guardian article by Tim Dowling on the Sounding Out ex-prisoner programme – ‘I’ve rarely met such creative minds’
‘In the 15 years MiP has been operating, most of the bands they have formed have only ever done a single performance, playing to small audiences made up of prisoners, guards and carefully screened invitees. But that’s about to change. MiP is embarking on an extramural project, Sounding Out, with seven former prisoners. Their first gig in front of a paying crowd is tomorrow. A date at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank follows.’ Read.
Sounding Out band Platform 7 performance at Koestler Trust 50th Anniversary Celebrations:
Beyond This – New Music 20×12 project with composer Mark-Anthony Turnage
BBC One o’clock News feature on Beyond This – watch here; http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16634472
BBC News Online article about Beyond This – read; http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16610563
Mark-Anthony Turnage on BBC Radio 4’s Midweek (main section on Beyond This starts 33:38) – listen; http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01kbhjm
Mark-Anthony Turnage speaking to PRS Foundation in the run up to the project;
Beyond This finished film;
2011
A Bigger Sound, Sail or Jail, September 2011
Band Behind Bars BBC Radio 2 documentary on the ‘A Bigger Sound’ project – http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b017k9cq
Read Band Behind Bars producer Heather Davies’ blog.
2010
Classical Music Magazine – ‘Marking Time’ article about our first 15 years.
2009
Magistrate Magazine – ‘Breaking Through Walls’ article by Luke Bowyer about the work of Music in Prisons.
2008
Beats and Bars evaluation publication, September 2008
BBC News Online – “Music boosts prisoner’s learning” – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7650466.stm
‘Music projects for prisoners help to improve learning skills, says research from the University of Cambridge. Researchers examined the impact of schemes in which inmates took part in learning and creating music. About a quarter of these prisoners were illiterate – and the study found that music projects increased their readiness to learn to read and write.’ Read.
2005
The Times – ‘Prisoners do time on the beat’ profile article on our Artistic Director Sara Lee.
BBC News Magazine – ‘Behind Bars’ article featuring MiP project at HMP Brixton and interview with prison Governor John Podmore – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4525068.stm
Observer Music Monthly – ‘Behind Closed Doors’ four-page article about our work.
The Irene Taylor Trust 