Music & Arts Programs

Songbirds: Ballads Behind Bars

The CRC Post-Release Music & Arts project provides song-writing and arts workshops inside select NSW prisons and community-based workshops for people at risk of criminal justice system involvement. The project engages professional songwriters and artists to support, teach and mentor people in prison and on release, and partners with other music and arts providers to facilitate access.

The Post-Release Music and Arts project works to:

  • Develop unique creative opportunities for vulnerable populations who have frequently been unable to access mainstream opportunities
  • Create meaningful community pathways after prison for people with long histories of disadvantage
  • Facilitate the development of identity and sense of belonging outside of criminal justice settings
  • Facilitate paid work opportunities in creative industries
  • Reduce social isolation and other risk factors that frequently contribute to ongoing criminal justice system involvement
  • Make really beautiful art and music

For more information, please call us on (02) 9288 8700 or contact us.

This service has been funded by the City of Sydney and generous philanthropic donations, including from: the Thyne Reid Foundation, the Berg Family Foundation, Judith Nielson and Lara Goodridge.

Newly released!
Listen and purchase tunes from the second album, Songbirds 2: Ballads Behind Bars

Listen and purchase tunes from the first Songbirds: Ballads Behind Bars album