Musicians in residence

 

As well as our intensive Music in Prisons projects, we are now also implementing key Musician in Residence placements to complement and sustain the impact of the intensive projects.

“I have been able to both facilitate and encourage a large and creative musical community within the prison, while also finding that the work feeds into my own musical output … an enormously valuable, varied and thought-provoking project to work on.” James Dey, Musician in Residence

Our first prison Musician in Residence placement began in May 2013 with musician James Dey. On a weekly basis James runs Rock School accredited courses, a guitar group and an open mic session.

This pioneering placement was made possible by the PRS For Music Foundation, which renewed funding to continue for a further year in Spring 2018. We are hugely grateful to them for recognising the value of the programme and their continued support.

“Learning to play the guitar gives me a sense of worth, like I’ve arrived. Playing the guitar is a great coping tool; it enables me to focus and motivates me. Being able to pick up the guitar when all is desolate and miserable is important. I can vent my frustrations in lyrics – it gives me peace of mind.”  Participant feedback

We now have five further prison Musician in Residence placements running in London and the South-East and plan to gradually grow expand the programme to complement our intensive Music in Prisons projects. Get to know more about James Dey over a nice cup of tea.

“The freedom of expression through music has given me a piece of the freedom back I have lost. It has shown me a lot about dedication and that anything is possible with hard work.” Participant feedback