Experiences of Undergraduate Volunteers in a Hip-Hop Music Program for Incarcerated Youth

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 3:45 pm - Gold 4
  In Roundtable Session: Spaces of Sound, Memory, and Meaning in Hip Hop Education

Abstract

The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to explore experiences of collegiate students volunteering in a hip-hop composition program for incarcerated youth, and investigate their perspectives on both the carceral system and music teaching and learning. Guided by a service-learning theoretical framework, six themes emerged: a) Music as Way to Connect, (b) Everyone Can Make Music, (c) Counter-Space for Joy, (d) Facilitator as Teacher and Learner, (e) Moments of Humanity in Inhumane System, and (f) Negotiating Dissonant Lives & Spaces. Results from this study continue to support hip-hop both as an important form for creative expression of incarcerated youth and as a musical practice that can foster connections across groups from different backgrounds who share musical values.

Authors

• David DeAngelis, Syracuse University

• Patrick Horton, Ball State University