Musical Masterclass.

Music can affect people in a myriad of ways. Feelings of joy, sadness, hope and even anger can be invoked when listening to a piece of music, or in the case of our Tū Ora, creating it.

Over the past few years our men with a penchant for writing and performing have worked closely with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra (CSO) in the form of several music workshops, which have culminated in a concert behind the walls of Christchurch Men’s Prison.

After last year’s concert was cancelled as a result of Covid, the April 5 performance was highly anticipated and didn’t fail to deliver.

A large audience, made up of Pathway and Department of Corrections staff, supporters, stakeholders and others were impressed by our Tū Ora’s musical ability, dedication and seamless harmony with the CSO, carefully crafted during six weekly prior workshops. 

Pieces played at the concert, assembled by Tū Ora and the CSO, were compiled into a Tū Ora songbook - which took about a year to create from conception to completion - something all involved can be rightly proud of.

For many of our Tū Ora, music was a big part of their lives before they entered prison and the Navigate Initiative (NI). It’s a passion that could easily have been lost if not for the NI and its ongoing music workshops.

It gave our Tū Ora the chance to express themselves to an audience through music. That’s a powerful thing and for some, one of the few ways to convey feelings and emotions from the past and present. We have seen our men thrive when given the chance to do this and connect with people in ways they may not have done so before.

This has helped them enormously when released back into the community in terms of making positive social connections and getting involved in community groups and organisations through music.

Our music workshops are an essential part of the NI and we continue to promote and encourage participation behind the wire.

A heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone who came together to make the concert happen. We can’t wait to hear what the CSO and our Tū Ora come up with next year!