SLSO Convenes Partners for Melodies of Hope at Justice Center

By Eric Dundon

The women’s pod at the Buzz Westfall Justice Center in Clayton was abuzz with activity on January 14. Music themed cookies were laid out on trays. Chairs were arranged in rows like a concert hall. And a keyboard and music stand were set up at one end of the 50-cell room.

This was no ordinary concert: this was the kick-off of Melodies of Hope, a collaborative program between St. Louis County Justice Services, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO), Pianos for People, Suzuki Harmony, and the Maryville University Music Therapy Program.

The pilot program gives ten residents of the justice center an opportunity to learn music from professional instructors while incarcerated. Following a comprehensive application phase, five men will be selected to receive piano instruction and five women to learn violin.

At the kick-off event, SLSO violinist Jessica Cheng Hellwege and Principal Keyboardist Peter Henderson performed a program to serve as inspiration for residents to apply.

“Jessica and Peter’s performance left a lasting impression on residents and led to almost 20 percent expressing interest in participating in the program,” said Melinda Allen, Corrections Department Development Coordinator for the Department of Justice Services.

Following feedback from residents, Kito Bess, Director of Justice Services, identified music education as a meaningful addition to the Justice Center’s programming. To get a program up and running, he reached out to Maureen Byrne, SLSO Vice President of Education and Community Partnerships.

“I met with the team at Justice Services and within an hour, we had designed the basic framework for the pilot program. With a clear plan in place, we knew exactly who could bring the expertise, resources, and heart to help bring it to life,” Byrne said.

From there, the program quickly coalesced as Byrne engaged the SLSO’s network of partners.

Beginning in March 2025, Suzuki Harmony will lead weekly violin classes and Pianos for People will lead piano instruction, all with assistance from trained music therapists from Maryville University. The pilot program is expected to conclude in summer 2025.

At the kick-off event, Hellwege and Henderson performed a variety of pieces to demonstrate the range of music capable on each instrument. The prospective female participants sat in total silence, with rapt attention on Henderson’s memorized performance of Claude Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” and Scott Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag, even inspiring a few tears from the audience. Then, the duo performed Jules Massenet’s “Meditation,” a contemplative and peaceful intermezzo from the opera Thaïs. After finishing the final piece, Fritz Kreisler’s dazzling Praeludium and Allegro, the crowd burst into applause with a standing ovation, with many residents whooping and hollering “yes!” towards the musicians. The facility’s male residents were able to access the performance later through electronic devices.

For Hellwege, who has performed at several correctional facilities, the experience was rewarding.

“From a performer’s perspective, it isn’t any different from any concert I’ve played my entire career. The only difference is that incarcerated people don’t have the regular access to live music,” she said. “One resident during one of my first visits to a prison apologized for having his eyes closed. He said he wasn’t sleeping, but that it was the most free he’d felt in a long time. That is the power of music, and the reason that keeps me playing.”

The integration of music education and music therapy into a jail setting also provides an opportunity to research the impact on participant’s psychological wellbeing, social behavior, and skill acquisition. Importantly, the program aims to give residents an outlet for creative expression, as well as provide tools for self-regulation, discipline, and goal setting.

“It cultivates determination, honest accountability, and patience. But perhaps most rewarding are the moments of progress when you can do something today that seemed impossible just a week ago. Those moments are deeply affirming.”

Allen will coordinate Melodies of Hope at the justice center and views it as a meaningful addition the vast range of services offered to residents.

“We are excited about adding this blended class of learning an instrument and music therapy to our program offerings,” she said. “We hope that this program will become a model for other facilities.”

Eric Dundon is the SLSO’s Public Relations Director.