Finally, my choir information/registration session at prison had arrived! I hadn’t slept much the night before. My mind was racing with a million questions, scenarios, and options for the session “plan.” I had my driver’s license as identification, I had worn conservative clothing, and I had received clearance to take a notepad and pen. I was as ready as I would ever be.
I was still escorted and supervised, since I had not yet been officially trained as a “volunteer.” My ODAG (Oberlin Drama at Grafton) colleague and I entered an “L-shaped” space with eight tables, each having 3 chairs. Off to one side of this main space was an attached room, theoretically an area in which we could have sectional rehearsals. There were two other smaller rooms attached to the main space—one was the sewing room, the other a woodworking shop.
My heart sank: only ten residents showed up for our gathering. They informed me that the posters announcing the meeting went up in only one of the three dorms. But, I had even met with the folks who would create and distribute the publicity. And, what happened to the Hope TV Channel publicity that would advertise the choir? The paperwork had clearly entered the institutional black hole. Ten people? Hardly a choir. Would OMAG be canceled even before it ever began?
But, there were 10 men. Not bad for having no “word out on the street.” The residents explained that this particular meeting time conflicted with work, school, and residents’ other obligations. They also assured me that there was much more interest in the choir than those who actually showed up for the meeting.
I distributed a survey, so I could learn of the residents’ musical background, interests, and reasons for wanting to participate in the choir. I’d like to share the residents’ responses to the survey question, “Why do you like to sing?” (NOTE: I have not edited the responses.)
- “I been singing all my life, and I like to heal the souls of people, including mine.”
- “I like to harmonize.”
- “I like to learn new things and I sung in a church as a kid.”
- “It makes me feel.”
- “Because I am good at it and singing takes me to another place where I am at peace with myelf at all times.”
- “It feels good to express love for music through voice.”
- “Nostalgia. Singing brings back good old days and times in my life where I was doing exciting things, good times, having fun.”
- “It gives me a natural high.”
- “Because it changes my mood.”
- “It’s my heartbeat.”
Healing, harmonizing, learning, feeling, remembering, altering moods, and simply…being. These words conveyed why these men had come to sing. These reasons are similar to any reason those of us who are not incarcerated could have articulated for why we enjoy singing. These were ten men—yes, ten prison residents. Ten human beings, capable of thinking and feeling deeply. Music would be our vehicle and common experience that we would share. When I glanced over the surveys as the residents handed them to me, I knew then that I would sing with whoever came to any particular rehearsal—1, 50, or…, yes, 10.
Singing Behind Bars 
