What Participants Say

"It (Good Vibrations) gives you confidence the first thing I'd ever done in front of an audience. Now I'm doing drama. It gave me confidence to sign up for drama - we're performing in front of an audience [from outside] next week. I've signed up for dance - starts on Friday. I've self-harmed since I was 9, I've never gone this long [without self-harming]. Now I think of the music."

"On the wing you are in your own world, just surviving. Gamelan has made me stronger; it has strengthened me and broken me out of my own four walls... It has helped me to face prison. When I came in I was a wreck. I didn't want to get on, and I just wanted to give up. It has taught me that you can find good in here."

"If this had been basic maths or English I wouldn't have come to this. Prison is macho and no one has a conversation about going down to Education to do a good English class."

"This is the first thing I have done in prison for 18 years and I was forced to do this. But in the end I enjoyed it and I would do it again."

"After last year('s project) I did a Group & Teamwork exam - I based it on what I did in gamelan. I passed that. If I'd not done Gamelan, I would not have done Group & Teamwork - I wouldn't have been able to. I'm usually a quiet person, don't gel with others, this brought me out of my shell and now I can work in a group. There's nothing else in here that brings us together as a group. Since getting the qualification I've done CALM and ETS courses. Gamelan gave me the confidence to do them. Gamelan has taught me how to take criticism in a group - it's not a big deal. You can learn off each other. Definitely confidence-building - previously I would have had trouble talking to you like this. Last year I would not have thought of standing up and talking in front of others."

"I really enjoyed it. It made me happy. I feel proud - it's something that I've stuck to for a long time. I think that during the day you need to get off the ward and gamelan gave me that chance."

"The music made me relax. I enjoyed being in the team. The highlight was the play-through at the end, because I had learnt something and I felt good doing it."

"You're out there on your own. In here, it's a jail and you're on your own. So being in a group I'm surprised it worked so well."

"I've learned to work as part of a group. When I do something I tend to go off on my own and do it, even if it's a crime."

"I've realised that I can sort of speak my mind more. Well, more openly I suppose, and easier than I thought I could... I'm actually not afraid to speak my mind or to express myself."

"Everyone puts up a shield, don't they, and I think that shield was let down by every single one of us."

"The way he taught us - he didn't shout at us, speak down to us. He spoke to us on a level. So that made us listen."