Songs in the Key of Free Featured in The Philadelphia Inquirer
Songs in the Key of Free is the first formal music program at Graterford Prison in more than a decade. The program was founded by August Tarrier (ACG '12) and Miles Butler in October 2016.
[T]hrough it, inmates have already written and recorded an EP of original songs, with a lyrical focus on issues like mass incarceration and systemic racism, and they are working on a full album. They also have two concerts prepared: one to be performed inside Graterford by the men, and a parallel performance-by-proxy, featuring professional musicians, video clips, and the EP release on June 16 at the Painted Bride.
August Tarrier, who founded the program with Butler last fall, says the goal is artistic, with a side of advocacy.
“It’s countering the idea that people who end up in prison, who made a mistake or a bad decision, that they deserve for us to lock them up and throw away the key,” said Tarrier, an editor and writer who has taught writing courses at Graterford for Villanova University. “What we’re trying to do is make an intervention and to bridge the divide between inside and outside.”
Continue reading the full article at The Philadelphia Inquirer.
