Chattanooga non-profit brings music to inmates on death row

Second Verses at Mississippi State Penitentiary / Second Verses Facebook

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) —  A Chattanooga non-profit is helping inmates on death row find hope and healing through music.

Second Verses recently visited the Mississippi State Penitentiary to teach songwriting workshops.

The inmates learned how to write songs, play guitar, and express their feelings through music.

With the help of Gibson Gives, Second Verses was able to give them guitars so they can keep learning and growing.

Second Verses at Mississippi State Penitentiary / Second Verses Facebook

Andy Tallet, Executive Director of Second Verses, said music is a powerful tool for people to work through tough times.  He believes songwriting is helping inmates cope with their situation and find hope.

“Second Verses has been doing songwriting workshops for over two years inside correctional facilities and each and every time it overwhelms me with just how powerful music is and how it is a valuable tool for anyone to leverage in their life.  The men and women dealing with incarceration that we have the privilege to work with are facing obstacles to healthy emotional expression due to the nature of incarceration. Music, more specifically songwriting, is giving them an outlet to grieve, to pursue forgiveness and reconciliation with family, to face demons of addiction, and to find hope. Hope can definitely be elusive behind prison walls, but songwriting and the power of music is bringing hope and healing into these places and changing lives,” said Tallet.

In addition to working with death row inmates, Second Verses also helped the prison’s chapel band improve their music skills.

Second Verses have been running songwriting workshops in prisons throughout Georgia, Tennessee, and Mississippi.