Our mission was ignited in 1987, when our Founder Richard Pendlebury MBE started running music sessions at HMP Bristol and soon noticed the positive difference this was making. Richard’s personal commitment to social justice and creative equity is enshrined in our work today

Changing Tunes now runs music and mentoring programmes in 18 prisons in the Southwest and South of England, the Midlands and South Wales. Our partners include...

HMP Ashfield - hosting our work since 2018

HMP Brinsford - hosting our work since 2016

HMP Bristol: Hosting our music rehabilitation work since 1987

HMP Channings Wood - hosting our work since 2013

HMP Drake Hall - hosting our work since November 2019

HMP Eastwood Park - hosting our work since 2003

HMP Guys Marsh - hosting our work since 2000

HMP Erlestoke - hosting our work since 2000

HMP Exeter - hosting our work since 2008

HMP Featherstone -  hosting our work since April 2019

HMP Ford - hosting our work since 2013

HMP Hewell - hosting our work since 2015

HMP Isle-of-Wight - hosting our work since 2009

HMP Leyhill - hosting our work since 2002

HMP Stafford - hosting our work since 2015

HMP Swansea - hosting our work since 2017

HMP Winchester - hosting our work since 2008

A window into our prison projects

Our Musician-in-Residence at HMP Eastwood Park reflects on her collaboration with women there over the course of a year…

“Last year at HMP Eastwood Park was a full and rich time. We began the year with recording sessions, which produced strong entries for the Koestler awards. Two of our longest standing participants received Koestler Awards, one Silver in the Solo Performance category and one Highly Commended for an original song. It was very striking how much of their life experience they put into the music

There are several women who've been attending one-to-one sessions and for whom music is playing a big part in their journey through their prison sentence. This is the case for a woman with complex needs and who was treated by the Personality Disorder Service for most of her three-year sentence. During her time with us she would practice her keyboard skills in between sessions. Over time, she learned to write her own songs and accompany herself. She was released recently, and on her last day she reflected on how far she has come. She felt she had a huge amount to take away with her. She summed it up by saying: ‘Thanks for believing in me’

Another woman with complex trauma, who has been struggling with prolific self-harm, has attended every Changing Tunes session during her eight months in prison. She has shown profound and dedicated musical and emotional development, choosing songs that help her process grief. This woman describes her learning in Changing Tunes as knowing that she is able to cope

Many of our participants tell me that they feel a sense of belonging at Changing Tunes. They talk about feeling relief when they play and sing. They explain how they can ‘be themselves’ and express what is going on for them. Their responses bring home to me the importance of the non-judgmental space that Changing Tunes provides and the rich potential for healing that this offers to women, as part of what is increasingly being identified as ‘trauma-informed’ practice”

Supporting prison residents in the pandemic

Our participants need us now more than ever. Throughout the pandemic, prisoners have typically spent more than 22 hours a day in their cells. This has severely damaged mental health

To help address this, our partners have told us that they need to provide residents with purposeful activity that can support mental health and learning, within the confines of a restricted regime

We’ve developed a blended model in response. This enables our musicians to provide participants with one-to-one support, alongside our new distanced learning resources

One-to-ones provide participants with a safe space to engage in relational music-making, building their morale through creative skills development and self-expression. Our distanced learning resources offer participants a positive focus and a learning opportunity, helping them to manage long hours behind their cell doors

Before the third national lockdown, we were pleased to be delivering our blended service in nine out of our 18 partner prisons. Evaluation with participants illustrates that our adapted service has made a significant difference, bringing beneficiaries out of isolation, supporting mental health and building morale through learning and creativity

Participants have said that the reintroduction of our in-person sessions gives them with something to look forward to and be hopeful for. They tell us about the enjoyment they've experienced from engaging in music-making and about tangible improvements in their wellbeing. Many have said that Changing Tunes is helping them to get through difficult days, both the sessions themselves, and the outlet they gain from engaging in our resources in between sessions

Here’s what one of our participants at HMP Eastwood Park said about a session she participated in as part of our adapted service...

“Changing Tunes has been an absolute life-line to me. Today, Anna (Changing Tunes Musician-in-Residence) took me and my pad-mate for a 45-minute jamming session. My pad-made sung and I played the piano. It was the best 45 minutes I’ve had since coming to prison. I felt human again for those 45 minutes. It has helped massively with my mental health. Thank you Changing Tunes, I am your number-one fan!”

Since the third lockdown, we have had to pause our in-person delivery at seven out of the nine prisons that we were active in before the announcement. We are pleased to still be delivering our blended service at HMP Bristol, HMP Eastwood Park’s women’s prison and at Vinney Green Secure Unit.

Our recovery plan

In consultation with our partner prisons, we've developed a phased plan, so that we can gradually re-establish a more ‘fully blown’ offer to beneficiaries at all of our 18 partner prisons...

Phase One (applies whilst our partner prisons cannot safely allow external providers inside):

We will make our new suite of distanced learning resources available to all of our partner prisons. We will enable participants to receive feedback from our musicians as they work through these resources, via a regularly monitored email service

Phase Two* (activated as soon as partner prisons invite external providers back inside, but whilst Exceptional Delivery Models still apply): Our musicians will provide one-to-one support and small group sessions where possible, alongside our suite of distanced learning resources

*Covid19-secure practice will be in place where in-person work is re-introduced

Phase Three**(once prisons are no longer operating an Exceptional Delivery Model): We will operate at ‘full delivery model’ including in-person one-to-ones, group sessions, prison performances and recordings

**This will be possible once partner prisons are at ‘Stage One’ of their Covid19 response system: ‘Prepare’ – where ongoing screening, testing and monitoring will take place, but regimes will be operating without requirements for social distancing or PPE use

Our participants and partners are keen to have us back…

"I miss our sessions very much..." "... Hopefully, after all the lockdown measures are improved, you’ll be back to work properly"  Participant feedback

"All of us here at HMP Stafford are excited to welcome Changing Tunes back when it is safe to do so. The residents are keen to carry on learning and working with their Musicians-in-Residence. Staff and residents are missing our fantastic rehabilitative culture and are keen to come out of this current regime with a positive impact, with Changing Tunes being massively involved in this"

Dawn Liversage, Custodial Manager at HMP Stafford

“Changing Tunes will make an important contribution to the mental health of prisoners in the recovery phase at HMP Isle-of-Wight. We're keen to have them back as soon as possible"  

Natalie Pitman, Learning and Skills Manager at HMP Isle-of-Wight