ConnectionsWhen I tell people that my job is to play music with prisoners I can never predict what their reaction is going to be, but there is always fascination about what goes on behind closed doors, and in particular – what good does music do? Our work is so simple that I often struggle to explain it without over-complicating it, but if you saw it first-hand you would immediately get it. Music is essentially connection; to self, to others, to the past, and to what’s beyond our present situation. For the men and women we meet in prison, those connections are often damaged, which is typically at the root of their offending behaviour. Playing music is like plugging it all back in – it is about building new relationships, and being part of something bigger than you.Inside this newsletter we describe the process a prisoner might take, from first attending a Changing Tunes session in prison and being part of the group, through release and building a life that is rooted in, and connected to, the local community. The best way to understand our work is to see it first-hand, and over the autumn we have some opportunities for you to do this. Come to one of our public events with high expectations, and you will feel the connection for yourself.

The Changing Tunes Newsletter Autumn/Winter 14

Extended periods of isolation can be a very damaging to a person’s mental health. Not only for those in prison, but for you, me, everyone. Isolation usually leads to poor mental health, low self-esteem and in the end, anti-social behaviour. It leads to people creating an internal dialogue that is often self-obsessed and self-serving. This can become very damaging to them, and all too often, to the people around them – resulting in even greater isolation. It takes no great leap of imagination to see how this isolation keeps the wheel of reoffending turning for an ex-prisoner.So many of the prisoners we work with have backgrounds that have included periods of great social isolation, often in the formative childhood years. As one ex-prisoner put it to me: ‘at 16 I gave up trying to make my mum love me, as I now had heroin to love.’ In the thirty years since finding heroin to love, she has never spent more than three months outside prison. Until now.So how do we break into prisoners’ isolation and show them they are not alone, and they can be part of society – both giving and receiving. One way is to connect with people; but it is much easier to connect with someone when you trust them and have a common ground on which to meet. Music provides Changing Tunes with this common ground. It also connects people, no matter what their background. It is the universal language.Or as Victor Hugo put it: ‘Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.’ Thank you for your support.

Chief Executive

Gareth Hamer

When I was sent to prison I never expected to leave there alive. I had no idea what would happen to me or even how I would survive it. At my lowest, I went to the prison chapel and while there I saw a poster for Changing Tunes. —Maria

You get all this support in jail, then when you walk out the prison gates, nothing—except you guys.—Lee

The Chang ing Tunes Journey. . . .Relationships are at the heart of our work—Music provides the perfect environment for these to develop.. . . .

Changing Tunes totally changed my life, [it] increased my self confidence and I managed to achieve things I never thought possible. [It] has helped me develop an appreciation for team-work and increased confidence in my own abilities. It also taught me a lot of patience.—Matt

At the group I found people who were interested in me, not only as a musician, but as a person too. It is not too dramatic to say that I immediately began to feel better about myself. I looked forward eagerly to the Changing Tunes sessions.—Mike

Changing Tunes works in prisons throughout the South

West and Wales and two in London. Our goal is to be working in

prisons by the year 2020.

people are currently in prison in England & Wales.

The average annual cost of a prison place in England & Wales is

.

Prisoners are times more likely to have been in care as a child than the national average.

Prisoners are over times more likely to suffer from two or more mental disorders than the national average.

Outside of prison, Changing Tunes carries on work with more than ex-prisoners each year.

We run church services, concerts, and recording sessions in the community, as well as gathering ex-prisoners for monthly group ‘jam sessions’.

Working with prisoners before and after release helps give continuity of support, and builds trusting relationships.

1 DonateYour donations go directly toward our workwith prisoners and ex-prisoners, helping us to fund a Musician in Residence in each prison, and enabling us to buy instruments and equipment. Giving a regular donation of even £5 a month will help keep us in guitar strings and plectrums. We also welcome one-off gifts, which help us to maintain musicians’ salaries and enable us to keep going.

Click the ‘Donate’ button at the top of our website homepage.

2 AttendYou’re invited to help create a welcoming and supportive environment for ex-prisoners by joining the audience at our community concerts, which we hold throughout the year. Your presence at these concerts provides much-needed encouragement as ex-prisoners are reintroduced into the community.

Visit the ‘Events’ page on our website, or follow us on Twitter and Facebook to get alerts about upcoming events. You can also subscribe to our bi-monthly events emails by emailing us at info@changingtunes.org.uk

3 VolunteerDo you play an instrument and want to help mentor ex-prisoners? If so, we may have opportunities for you to join us as a volunteer.

Email or call our offices to get information on how to volunteer with Changing Tunes in your area! Email: info@changingtunes.org.uk Phone: 0844 414 6083

The Chang ing Tunes Journey. . . .Relationships are at the heart of our work—Music provides the perfect environment for these to develop.. . . .

Changing Tunes totally changed my life, [it] increased my self confidence and I managed to achieve things I never thought possible. [It] has helped me develop an appreciation for team-work and increased confidence in my own abilities. It also taught me a lot of patience.—Matt

At the group I found people who were interested in me, not only as a musician, but as a person too. It is not too dramatic to say that I immediately began to feel better about myself. I looked forward eagerly to the Changing Tunes sessions.—Mike

We work with prisoners each year.

It only costs for Changing Tunes to run one music session per week in a prison for a year.

Prisoners we work with have won more than prestigious Koestler Awards over the last two years.

On average, of ex-prisoners reoffend within two years, costing the taxpayer between per year.

Prisoners who engage with Changing Tunes both pre- and

post-release have a reoffending rate of

- that’s than the national average!

Just preventing people from re-offending per year would pay for our entire programme.

Changing Tunes, PO Box 2646, Bristol BS6 9BU Telephone 0844 414 6083 www.changingtunes.org.uk email: info@changingtunes.org.uk

© Changing Tunes Charity No. 1144789

Franchise update Changing Tunes is pioneering

a franchise model for expanding our work

nationally. So far we’ve successfully established a franchise in London and the South East, where our first recruited Musician in Residence is getting ready to begin work in HMP Wandsworth, and the hiring process is underway for HMPYOI Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire.

Our next franchise is also underway in West Midlands & the North West. We’ve experienced a warm welcome in the midlands, both from leaders in the charitable sector, and from prisons such as HMP Hewell, which have already agreed to let us begin work.

New staffWe’re excited to announce that we’ve recruited our first Musician in Residence for the London & South East franchise: Alan Bryant. Alan’s musicianship spans many instruments, but he specialises in the drums. He will be bringing Changing Tunes music sessions into HMP Wandsworth once a week.Here in the South West, Steve Parker, a proficient musician who feels most at home on piano, has just begun work as our new Musician in Residence on the Isle of Wight, working in Albany and Parkhurst prisons two days a week.

Out There MusicWe’re grateful for our partnership with long-time supporters Out There Music, a community choir and orchestra in Bristol. Out There Music is hosting their Christmas Concert on December 13th at St Monica’s Chapel, Westbury-on-Trym. They’ll also be hosting their annual Winter Concert at St George’s in Bristol on the 8th of February 2015. We encourage all our supporters to come along! For more information visit www.outtheremusic.net or email admin@outtheremusic.net

Concert

Koestler This year Changing Tunes won 43 prestigious Koestler Arts Awards – two of which were the highest possible Platinum awards! Following on our success this year, we were pleased to be invited to perform before 200 people at the opening of the Koestler Trust’s Chasing Dreams exhibition at the Southbank Centre in September.Fran Key (our musician in HMP Eastwood Park) and Gareth Hamer (one of our team managers) accompanied musical performances by Anne*, a woman Fran met while working in Eastwood Park, and David Comer, one of Changing Tunes’ trustees, who both talked about their experiences in prison and with Changing Tunes. It was an exciting and uplifting event. *Name has been changed.

Join us for an evening of Beatles music performed alongside material chosen by ex-prisoners. These ex-prisoners will also be sharing inspirational stories about their own lives. This will be an uplifting celebration – with dancing in the aisles! When: November 8th, 7.30-10.15pmWhere: Woodlands Church, Belgrave Road, Bristol BS8 2AACost: £5 (£3 concessions) Buy tickets at changingtunes.org.uk/events

We’d like to thank the Arts Council for their generous support of our post-release work. This is the first time we have worked in partnership with the largest funder of the arts in this country. Their funding will help us provide hundreds of hours of music sessions with ex-prisoners.