In the Justice System
For more than a decade, Carnegie Hall’s programs in justice settings have played a central role in fulfilling the Hall’s mission of making great music accessible to the widest audience possible. We believe that everyone benefits from tapping into their own creativity and engaging with music and the arts. Music can catalyze personal growth and build agency, empathy, and connections with others.
The Hall’s Weill Music Institute (WMI) serves people of all ages who are justice-involved through programs in which participants write and perform their own music, collaborate with others, and develop their artistry. Workshops explore how the arts can be a powerful tool for self-expression, expand opportunities, and amplify program participants’ voices, which are often silenced by the justice system. Through creative experiences, participants, staff, teaching artists, and audiences grow and build community.
In our longstanding work to develop programs for and with people involved in the justice system—a system that creates barriers to the development of self-expression, and disproportionately impacts and harms people of color—Carnegie Hall leverages the arts as a tool for justice reform. This is achieved by serving those involved in the justice system through initiatives that encourage creative expression, and by using our platform to share their stories. Learn more about our programs that serve people who are system-involved.
Ages: Youth and Adults
Geography: NYC, National, International
Jump to section:
Programs in the Justice System
Musical Connections
Through Musical Connections, men at Sing Sing Correctional Facility work alongside visiting artists to compose and perform original music through workshops and performances. In addition to developing music skills, an advisory board composed of men who have returned home provides support along with music-making and performance opportunities.
Ages: Adults
Geography: New York State
NeON Arts
NeON Arts—a free program in partnership with the Department of Probation—offers creative workshops across the five boroughs at community-based probation offices and other sites. Local stakeholder groups select meaningful arts projects for their communities through a participatory budgeting process. Youth can explore a variety of creative genres, and develop important social and career skills.
Ages: 16–24
Geography: NYC
Lullaby Project
The Lullaby Project pairs new and expecting parents with professional artists to write and sing personal lullabies for their babies. Extending across the country and around the globe, the Lullaby Project enables partner organizations to support families in a variety of community settings, including correctional facilities.
Ages: Adults
Geography: NYC, National, International
Future Music Project
Future Music Project gives young musicians from across New York City the opportunity to create, perform, and produce their own original music. In partnership with the Administration for Children’s Services, youth who are justice-involved create and learn about music through instruction, curriculum, and videos led by WMI teaching artists.
Ages: Teens
Geography: NYC
Watch & Listen
Watch & Listen
“I’ve learned more than just the technique of performance—I’ve learned about self-confidence and collaboration with others, which I so richly enjoy.”
“Musical Connections helped me realize that, regardless of my incarceration, I still have a voice and power to change the lives of others around me. I do this by continuing to assist my musical community at Sing Sing and to provide service as a case management prerelease coordinator for those who return home.”
“I want my music to show that it helped me change my life and gave me a new outlook on how I live my life now.”
Learn More
Google Arts & Culture for Music at Sing Sing Correctional Facility
Google Arts & Culture explores the ongoing work and stories of Musical Connections in a visual and musical journey.Explore Our Research
Discover exploratory papers and research on Carnegie Hall’s programs in justice settings.
NeON Arts is a program of the NYC Department of Probation in partnership with Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute.
Major support is provided by The Kresge Foundation.
Additional support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Joel Foundation.
