During the Spring season of OMAG, we worked to prepare for our contribution to the Chaplain’s service as a part of the Wednesday evening Family Visit Evening. During that occasion, we were asked to provide approximately 25 minutes of music. As is typical of Family Evening, there are chairs and clear plastic tables set up, around which families gather to visit with one another. For some “residents,” the visit signifies the first family visit in a very long time. For others, it is a monthly opportunity for children, siblings, parents, and wives/girlfriends to visit their incarcerated father, son, brother, boyfriend/husband. The occasion, as you might expect, is marked by lots of conversation converted into high volume sound. It takes a bit of time for the Chaplain to gain everyone’s attention, because folks are naturally eager to visit with each other.
OMAG’s turn to sing. Quite a few of the singers invited their family and friends to this particular Family Evening, since they wanted their “own” to witness their participation in the OMAG Choir and creation of musical interpretation. At first, the men were tentative in their first phrases of song. At one point during “All Things Bright and Beautiful” the light switch turned on! The men recognized the precise, full, sensitive sounds they were producing collaboratively. Their eyes honed in on my conducting gestures while their voices responded accordingly. Then they began to make eye contact with each other in order to coordinate their pitches, rhythms, and dynamics. We smiled at each other and relaxed. We were in the groove. And with each song they were more confident, expressive, and “together.” So what is more powerful than a person finding her/his own light-switch (flow) experience? When a group of artistic souls simultaneously achieve the flow experience. The singers’ body, mind, and spirit selves were completely engaged in the moment. The more confidence and musicality they exuded, the more the audience was pulled into the performance. Given the number of people in the Visitation Room for the Family Evening, it was amazing that the singers’ music captured their complete attention.
The songs we sang were:
All Things Bright and Beautiful (Silvey)
Frobisher Bay (Gordon/arr. Ayers)
Wade in the Water (Spiritual/arr. Printz)
What a Wonderful World (Weiss & Thiele/arr. Lojeski)
A person, who was an OMAG singer’s guest, wrote to me:
“In over 20 years in ministry, that [OMAG Choir performance] may be one of the most powerful things that I have witnessed. Music brought life to my friend (resident’s name). He and all the other inmates were so pleased with what they were able to do. They love Dr. Kerchner, and by the way they sounded great! Overall the evening moved me and gave me hope for today and the future.”
It was a light-switch moment!
Singing Behind Bars 