MID’s music activities are currently delivered by its community music partners, Music for Change, Drum Runners Trading (some members formerly of Traditional Arts Projects, TAPS), Asian Music Circuit and Oxford Concert Party.
From Calypso singing and Caribbean storytelling to Indian dancing, from traditional folk-singing to African drum fusion, from shanties and quadrilles to Argentinian tango and Parisian café music, MID’s music activities are colourful, dynamic, and as diverse as the groups who participate in them. All activities are participatory and interactive, both as workshops and performances, and aim to provide space for many levels of learning, self-development and creative expression.
As Douglas of MID's music delivery partner Music for Change says, “In the IRC context we are particularly focused on providing the participants with the opportunity to express themselves through song, dance, words, chants and rhythms. This helps to alleviate tension and stress, to allow detainees to feel seen, heard and valued, and to allow them to communicate something about themselves to their fellow detainees and the staff. All of our artistic delivery uses vocal contributions from both the facilitator and the participants, whether spoken or sung, and explores the participants’ own languages and modes of expression”.
“The most important thing is the way [the facilitator] teach us to express ourselves and to communicate each other. It was a moment of great exchange between people.”
Detainee participant, IRC Dungavel House
The content of each workshop is tailored to the particular needs and preferences of the respective IRCs at any given time. If a particular cultural or national festival were approaching, for example, if there were a high proportion of detainees of a particular nationality or cultural group at a centre, if there were particular interests expressed by detainees, then workshops would be tailored accordingly. Activities vary in duration, some taking place in just one afternoon, others over a series of days or weeks.
How does it work?
We see the institution of the IRC as exerting a powerful influence on both detainees and staff, tending to determine opposing identities and roles (“inmates” and “screws”). The peer group is thus a dominant force for both sides, influencing attitudes and behaviour. In this context we see music-making as able to create a “bubble” or “third space”, in which both detainees and staff can step out of role and operate differently from the institutional “default setting”.
Some aspects of music-making which seem to contribute to this are:
- The creative process involves team work, eg listening to others, keeping the tempo together, the interplay of melody and rhythm, working together on music and lyrics, fluid leadership.
- For the individual, music can speak directly to the emotions; in group music-making these are naturally communicated
- The activity sets purposes and terms of engagement which depart from everyday routines.
- If the activity is led by people from outside the institution, this may add to the sense of it being outside its usual routines.
Central to these characteristics seem to be a sense of “equal value”, that is, the ability of music-making to give a sense of value to the individual and equality to the group. As one of our practitioners put it, it gives people the chance to get out of role and behave like human beings. This idea of music as a humanising force is a fundamental organising principle for MID.
In essence our work in IRCs uses the dynamic of the third space to build connections and relationships within the closed setting. Detainees, often isolated by the experience of detention and by cultural differences between each other, develop friendships and social networks. Staff objectify detainees less, individualise them more, and become more culturally aware. Where we are able to work closely with senior managers, the development of interaction through these means becomes a shared and systemic objective.
For more about the activities of our music delivery partners, go to MID Partners
Evaluation of summer 2005 Music in Detention pilot programme
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Evaluation summary: Music for Change workshop at IRC Dungavel, April 2006
click here
Evaluation summary: TAPS workshop at IRC Colnbrook, July 2006
click here
MID is in the process of developing Best Practice Guidelines for delivering music activities inside IRCs.