Music-Making in U.S. Prisons: Listening to Incarcerated Voices

The U.S. incarceration machine imprisons more
people than in any other country. Music-Making in U.S. Prisons looks
at the role music-making can play in achieving goals of accountability and
healing that challenge the widespread assumption that prisons and punishment
keep societies safe.

The book's synthesis of historical research,
contemporary practices, and pedagogies of music-making inside prisons reveals
that, prior to the 1970s tough-on-crime era, choirs, instrumental ensembles,
and radio shows bridged lives inside and outside prisons. Mass incarceration
had a significant negative impact on music programs. Despite this setback,
current programs testify to the potency of music education to support personal
and social growth for people experiencing incarceration and deepen social
awareness of the humanity found behind prison walls.

Cohen and Duncan argue that music-making creates
opportunities to humanize the complexity of crime, sustain meaningful
relationships between incarcerated individuals and their families, and build
social awareness of the prison industrial complex. The authors combine
scholarship and personal experience to guide music educators, music
aficionados, and social activists to create restorative social practices
through music-making.