Journal Entry #10 - Wrapping it Up

I knew I was finished after my bow left the string on my last song and the hour long concert was over. Playing at the prison was one of the best experiences I've had playing the violin. The jail was a setting I'd never played at before and an audience I'd never played for. Although, the prisoners were much like any normal person. You could never tell they were prisoners from their face or conversations. For the first time, I thought of the inmates as regular people, not crazy animals. You couldn't help but wonder, "What went wrong?"

It was a very personal concert and one of the women shared this image she got while I played the beginning of Czardas by V. Motti. She had imagined a plastic bag floating in the wind, getting caught in fences, then blowing across open ground. It fit perfectly with the song, as the beginning is very eerie and melodic. I felt like she understood the song, like somehow she was getting my message. I had told them in the beginning that a lot of people think you have to understand classical music to enjoy it, but that's not the case. You just have to listen, let your mind wander, and let the emotions wash over you.

Journal Entry #9 - Lights, Camera, Action!

When we first arrived, the building seemed smaller than I had imagined. It was surrounded by a shiny, barbed wire fence. I started to get a little nervous and at one point thought, "Gee, I could be playing for a murderer." The waiting room looked like one you might find at a doctor's office. You could see the visitors' section through a glass window. It looked like one you might find in a movie with chairs separated by glass and a telephone mounted on the wall. Deputy Warden Jackie Motter met me there a few minutes later and used an identification key to get my parents and me through two sets of bars that led into the jail.

We walked through a curved hallway and I could see men working out and playing basketball in a gym through large windows. They clustered curiously near it when I walked by. It made me feel a little uncomfortable. Ms. Motter let us into the jail library and began setting up chairs. I got my violin out and began playing for an audience of about nine or ten people. The women didn't talk when I played and asked lots of questions. They were a great audience! I felt very comfortable around them. You would've never realized they were prisoners from the way they looked or talked. They were responsive and made jokes. When I played "Don't Stop Believing" one of the women said she was singing along with me in her head and another swayed to the music. Many of them hummed while I played "Viva La Vida." Ms. Motter said she had never heard such beautiful music in the prison in the twenty years she worked there. I felt honored. I didn't know what to expect behind those bars, but my experience was an amazing one!

Journal #8 - Day Of

The day of my concert I was nervous and definitely excited. Because I knew it was a small group of people, I wasn't all that worried about if I messed up. However, I was worried that I would get a non-responsive audience. Those are the hardest to play for. Some of my classmates made jokes like "Watch out, they might kill you!" or "If anything happens, stab them with your bow!" Those comments annoyed me. These people in prison deserve our respect. Saying they'll kill you is first of all so ridiculous because they have no weapons and I'll be escorted at all times and secondly, it's not very empathetic. A lot of these people will get back into society after they've served their time. Yes, the inmates made a mistake, but hardly any of them are crazed killers. My dad picked me up after school, and we began the drive to Clinton County.

Journal Entry #7 - Speech

I knew I wanted to say a little introduction before I started so I practiced giving an intro about myself in front of a mirror. I wrote down points on a notecard that helped organize my thoughts and made me more confident. (Unfortunately, I forgot to bring the index card the day of the performance.)

Journal Entry #6 - Electric Violins

While practicing, I found some pictures I had printed out for a presentation I had done about music last year. They were of different electric violins and I decided to pass those out while playing some contemporary songs. Crowds usually like when I play songs they hear on the radio so I began to practice "Viva La Vida," "Don't Stop Believing," and "I Gotta Feeling." I worked on memorizing them so I wouldn't be stuck behind a stand while playing them.

Journal Entry #5 - Practice Makes Perfect

^^My Practice Room

In order to prepare for my concert, I had to pick and practice many different pieces to include in my concert. I tried to choose ones that would trigger emotions or certain imagery. There was a really beautiful, slow Bach movement and a fast, almost angry movement taken from the Bruch violin concerto. I chose some light and happy pieces as well. I wanted the audience to experience classical music in a variety of ways and I hoped at least one would really move them or stay in their memory. I reviewed old pieces and built up my concert list, preparing the ones I knew I was going to use.

Journal Entry #4 - Starting the Project

Click here to view and download my flier.description!

My mom helped me out by calling the Deputy Warden Jackie Motter at the Clinton County Prison and seeing if it were possible for me to play at the prison. She and Ms. Motter have known each other for many years. Ms. Motter said yes, and sent an email about what was probably going to happen. She asked me to write up a description or flier of what I was going to be doing and said she would pass that around along with a sign up sheet. She expected around 10 women to attend. I was really excited and immediately began working on my description.

Journal Entry #3 - Why Music?

Music is power. It's raw emotion, and that's why I really wanted to use it in my community project. It's a way of communication that can truly transform whoever listens to it. When I was brainstorming different ideas after just learning about the project, I knew I wanted to choose an activity that I hoped would really benefit someone. Music can do just that. I've played at retirement homes before, so I wanted to try something new and different. That's when I remembered reading two separate stories in a Strings Magazine about artists who played in prisons. It just clicked. That was what I wanted to do. I thought those prisoners were the ones who would need music the most. I wanted to do it for the prisoners, give them a little escape from reality, make them feel like regular people, and above all give them hope for the future.

Journal Entry #2 - Back to the Beginning

Rewind all the way back to 1999. I don't remember why I initially wanted to play the violin. My parents told me I started asking about taking lessons when I was four. It definitely surprised them. Neither of them had played music apart from the clarinet in high school (Mom) and the trombone in junior high (Dad.) I grew up listening to The Beatles, not Mozart. My parents told me I'd have wait until I was five, just to make sure I wasn't going through one of those little kid obsession phases. I wasn't, and once I started playing I never stopped.

Journal Entry #1 - Action Plan!

For my freshman seminar class, each student had to do something for the community as part of a mid-term project. After days of racking my brain for a project idea at least somewhat interesting, I had a light bulb moment. I decided I wanted to give a concert for women at the Clinton County Correctional Facility as a way for the isolated women living in our community to connect with music and get the emotional experience that has benefited me in so many ways! A lot of people think of prisoners as hard, terrible, crazy animals. I'll admit it, I did at one point too. However, that is not the case. These prisoners are people who have family, friends, feelings, a future, and dreams just like you or me. To get ready for my recital, I'll need to prepare and practice my concert pieces. I'll know I'm done after my 45-60 minute concert is over. My parents and the Deputy Warden Jackie Motter will help me put this plan into action!