Warden Says Music Could Rebuild Lives
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Del.icio.usWomen’s Community Correctional Center warden Mark Patterson has a vision to provide the tools and skills for the women inmates to help them transition back into the community, and one way to do that is through music.
“We’d like to get some musical instruments donated to us, and we’d like to have someone to help take the time to teach these women to play music,” said Patterson, who has been warden for a year. “There are women here with talents, and unless we have the instruments to bring that out, we won’t be able to harness that.
“We want to build a music program. Music heals, music changes the environment, music changes the mood. Music is one way we can get people to transform.”
Halawa prison, where he previously worked, had three bands, so when he started working at WCCC in Kailua, he asked “Where is the music?”
The facility has a couple of pianos and some old ukuleles. Patterson hopes to add to that with the help of the community and his recreational specialist Larsen Medina, who is a musician.
While visiting a Kentucky prison, Patterson met an elderly lady with an ukulele, playing and singing.
“That reminded me of my aunties and uncles playing in the back yard,” he recalled. “I told her she needs to come home, so we brought her to Hawaii. I told her she needs to find others like herself to play music. So she’s been the center, and she’s gotten some others to sing and play with her with whatever instruments we can borrow.
“We want to be able to have a band. It’s an added positive to the things we can do.”
Residents with instruments or instructional time to share are welcome to call 266-9591.
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