“Lost” from the album “Undisclosed Location” was recorded inside Grand Valley Institution for Women and performed and written by the inmates. This music video was shot on location inside the prison. We also present to you “Delicate Love,” a lead track from the collection about to be released from Joyceville Institution. Download MP3 The Pros and Cons prison music program … Read More
NOW Magazine: “…the first album made inside a Canadian federal women’s prison”
It looks like a community centre or a campus – inmates live in shared housing, wear their own clothes, order groceries once a week – but Kitchener’s Grand Valley Institution for Women is a prison. “We can walk around [between buildings],” an inmate tells me, “but we can’t leave.” We’re sitting in a gymnasium set up for a special International … Read More
570 News: Women’s prison in Kitchener releases music album in a Canadian first
Talk about dropping bars behind bars. Inmates at the Grand Valley Institution for Women in Kitchener have released a 10-song music album, called “Undisclosed Location.” It’s the first album written and recorded at a federal women’s prison in Canada and part of the Pros and Cons Program. Founder of the program Hugh Christopher Brown tells 570 NEWS it all started … Read More
CBC News: Women at Kitchener’s Grand Valley prison release first musical album
When she first walked through the doors of the music room at Grand Valley Institution for Women, Bayley didn’t know what to expect. “I never knew I was musically inclined,” she told CBC News. “I never played an instrument before in my life.” But when another inmate put a bass guitar in her hands and a microphone in front of … Read More
The Morning Edition K-W shares Lost, from Undisclosed Location
Listen to “Lost”, as shared by CBC Kitchener Waterloo’s The Morning Edition.
Waterloo Region Record: Grand Valley inmates celebrate release of album
KITCHENER — The voices of inmates at Grand Valley Institution for Women will be heard around the world through a groundbreaking new album released online. It’s the first album written and recorded at a federal women’s prison in Canada, and available for anyone to listen for free. “I hope that the music first of all moves them on its own … Read More
Rethinking Prison: Music and Life Beyond Punishment
In his talk, Hugh Christopher Brown explains how the instigation of a music program with inmates taught him the importance of mentorship in prison; and how its effects on convicts deepened his understanding of what music is.
Project reviewed by Samaritan Mag
“What does the rehabilitation of incarcerated people look like? Is it hard labour? Intensive counseling and soul-searching? Career training for eventual life on the outside? Chris Brown thinks he has a partial answer: prisoner rehabilitation looks a lot like making a record, which happens to incorporate all the above and plenty more.” — Samaritan Mag 18 August 2014 Read entire article at Samaritan … Read More
truthout op/ed
“I was first motivated to get inside when the federal government began dismantling highly functioning programs, the chaplaincy and compassionate care inside prisons. It was obvious the tactic was to wreak havoc on successful programming to rationalize privatization of correctional services. Input from American senators who had experienced first hand the perils of a punitive based private prison system was … Read More
Kingston Whig Standard spotlight on the album release
From June 5, 2014: Kingston Whig Standard: About three years ago, as the prison farm at Pittsburgh Institution was decommissioned, musician Chris Brown felt compelled to do something to fill the newly created void. “I became involved with that, and wanted to continue contributing to my environment,” explained the Wolfe Island resident. “In the past, I have a history of doing … Read More