This instrumental will make you want to dance! The percussion of the djembe pushes the beat forward which creates an exciting rhythm whilst the piano riff gives you a melody to latch on to

This was written on a 3-day residential programme at Brook House with our artists Shammi Pithia and Emmanuel Okine as stimulus for our Dance in Detention project.

This jam was facilitated by our amazing artists who have such a skill in involving everyone in the room to create music together on an equal level - utilising everyones skills and expression. You can here the drums, percussion, an acoustic and electric guitar - you can also hear how relaxed people are in this moment.

This was written on a 3-day residential programme at Brook House with our artists Shammi Pithia and Emmanuel Okine as stimulus for our Dance in Detention project.

An upbeat song singing to a woman, this includes fantastic percussion and makes you want to dance!

This was written on a 3-day residential programme at Brook House with our artists Shammi Pithia and Emmanuel Okine as stimulus for our Dance in Detention project.

This reflective spoken word piece is performed like a letter to loved one or to oneself, it talks of lonliness, the hurt of being apart, and the deep sorrow that comes from being inside a detention centre

This was written on a 3-day residential programme at Brook House with our artists Shammi Pithia and Emmanuel Okine as stimulus for our Dance in Detention project.

Ths Rap explores the difficulties about being in Detention including social politics within the centre, but also the wider system of oppression - from detention at school leading to IRCs

This was written on a 3-day residential programme at Brook House with our artists Shammi Pithia and Emmanuel Okine as stimulus for our Dance in Detention project.

This Rock Pop song with a a chilled guitar accompianiment and anthemic chorus talks about peace and love, and how by fighting with other people - we only fight ourselves

This was written on a 3-day residential programme at Brook House with our artists Shammi Pithia and Emmanuel Okine as stimulus for our Dance in Detention project.

A beautiful flute solo introduces this song. Initially sung in Hindi, then English, this folk pop tune is a beautiful ballad.

This was written on a 3-day residential programme at Brook House with our artists Shammi Pithia and Emmanuel Okine as stimulus for our Dance in Detention project.

This song was created with our musicians, Simon and Anna who were joined by our volunteer Sarah!

The song starts with a dutch rap, followed by English and a sung refrain (by Sarah) saying "stay strong, stand tall, it's gonna get better, lets keep it together"

Within the percussion breakdown, you hear a second rap - "I'd rather catch a bullet than to be a servant"

This song combines a few different genres including rap, hip hop, reggae style guitar, trap beats, and latin percussion

This song was written in Brook house in a workshop with Alex and Sophia

"I write to survive" is an original rap by Mark, on a 4 chord sequence which the musicians set up for him to write to.

You can hear a the refrain "I write to escape the madness, I write to be free" alongside Mark's rap talking about how he's growing and changing. He's "living in hell" and although he finds it so hard, he continues to look forward

This song starts as a lament about the status quo, talking about what has happened to humanity. However it ends up as a call to action. 

You can hear a guitar solo as well as the cajon and brilliant voices singing "dua të ik shpeit", Albanian for 'I want to Run away'.

There was a young man who only spoke Albanian in the detention centre so we managed to translate the main chorus hook/title.

This song was recorded as part of a one day workshop delivered by Music for Change artists Anna de Mutiis and Alexander D Great on 8th  February 2019.

This track was Commended in the 2019 Koestler Trust Awards!

My life is like a movie talks about life and being unsupported, about family, about working hard 

Get up, stand up is a cover recorded in Brook House

Reasons talks about oppression and how we overcome it, it draws on personal experience and historical stories

This is another cover - the House of the rising Sun, although this time it involves beatbox and a violin playing the melody, accompianied by a lamenting voice over the top.

This is another cover - the House of the rising Sun, although this time it involves beatbox and a violin playing the melody, accompianied by a lamenting voice over the top.

Keep Cool Babylon is a song with a clear message, multiple voices and simple hypnotic beat

Percussion Jam using the Darbuka!

This is a traditional song, sang with drums and backing

Messages

Make Some Music

Mind Body and Soul

Rainbows

Pressure

Knives

Let it go 

Silence is a track about speaking up for what is right, it was as part of the Brook House/ Langley Green community exchange project

This song was created as part of a wellbeing event at Morton Hall

This song was recorded in Morton hall as part of a wellbeing event

This track was written and recorded by detainees at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre as part of the Musician In Residence programme which provides weekly music-making workshops at the centre.

Two of the detainees wanted to record a rap. They guided the musicians creating the backing track and then took turns to record their vocal parts.

This track was written and recorded by detainees at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre as part of the Musician In Residence programme which provides weekly music-making workshops at the centre.

One detainee wrote this song while in prison. He recorded the verses pretty much in one take and everyone was really surprised and impressed! He had three verses, and the group arranged the song to make it longer and more varied. Shammi worked with the group to double-track some vocals, making them into a chorus, copying some bits and adding effects like distortion.

This song really motivated some of the detainees to write more.

This track was written and recorded by detainees at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre as part of the Musician In Residence programme which provides weekly music-making workshops at the centre.

This track was written and recorded by detainees at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre as part of the Musician In Residence programme which provides weekly music-making workshops at the centre.

The track is a cover version of Bob Marley's classic tune. This was recorded by one detainee working alone with Shammi at the end of a session.

This track was written and recorded by detainees at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre as part of the Musician In Residence programme which provides weekly music-making workshops at the centre.

This track was written and recorded by detainees at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre as part of the Musician In Residence programme which provides weekly music-making workshops at the centre.

Some of the guys wanted to make a Reggae track. The group agreed on a chord progression and then split up to create a backing track while starting on writing the song. The group put the song in a key that would be comfortable for the saxophonist to play on and he started finding the notes that would work with it.

The group had to work fast to record electric guitar parts, a beat, piano, organ, bass, saxophone, guitar solos and vocals. The guy playing sax was not confident at first and said he was no good at making melodies, but he was encouraged and when he got up and recorded it sounded great.

This track was written and recorded by detainees at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre as part of the Musician In Residence programme which provides weekly music-making workshops at the centre.

“I started by showing them how to make a drum beat on the computer and then one guy had ideas for the melody line. We soon had a basic backing track up and running that everyone really seemed to love.

Next, people wanted to record things on top. Someone recorded some Djembe and then two guys took turns in freestyling some vocals. The vibe here was hot! So much energy from all of these guys. When we listened back people would be dancing and cheering along - really good fun” – Shammi Pithia

This track was written and recorded by detainees at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre as part of the Musician In Residence programme which provides weekly music-making workshops at the centre.

“They wanted to do a rap/trap song so that's what we did. One of the guys asked if he could use swear words and personally I think as long as it's not going to offend anyone or is intentionally targeted at anyone its fine. Rap music is full of bravado and swearing is part of the music, so it didn't feel right to restrict anything. I was happy to let them use whatever words they liked under the condition they would not be upsetting or threatening anyone. They were fine with this, it was more about appearance than anything else” – Shammi Pithia

This track was written and recorded by detainees at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre as part of the Musician In Residence programme which provides weekly music-making workshops at the centre.

With around 20 minutes left at the end of a session, two guys wanted to play and record something from Africa. They played djembe and conga and sang traditional songs from their culture.

“Soon after they started everyone else got involved and sang along and cheered. Plenty of dancing too… everyone in the room was involved in some way or another. It was a real high moment” – Shammi Pithia

This track was written and recorded by detainees at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre as part of the Musician In Residence programme which provides weekly music-making workshops at the centre.

“We cranked the music up loud and everyone was singing along as a huge group to the chorus and dancing together. It was quite a scene, everyone was super happy and really enjoying the music. Huge smiles around the whole room and a real sense of joy. This was a truly amazing experience and a really proud moment for me. I do a lot of music workshops and see a lot of positive results, but this was something else. I think I’ve only hit this level of positive effect a few times before” – Shammi Pithia

This track was written and recorded by detainees at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre as part of the Musician In Residence programme which provides weekly music-making workshops at the centre.

“Once the beat was finally ready we started recording parts, starting with the chorus and then verses and finally some guitar improv.

After someone had recorded there was a massive cheer from everyone and a lot of respect given to all. Lots of passer-by’s dropped in and loved what they heard. People just sat around and vibed with us. It really did feel like we were some place else, not a detention centre, the vibe was too jolly and upbeat. When we had finished recording everyone was very pleased and proud. There were smiles all around and people really appreciated what we had created” – Shammi Pithia

This track was written and recorded by detainees at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre as part of the Musician In Residence programme which provides weekly music-making workshops at the centre.

“This session had quite a few people come in from time to time... Some joined the vocal group and others sat and got involved with the production side. It was nice to have a 'working studio session' in action” – Shammi Pithia

This track was written and recorded by detainees at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre as part of the Musician In Residence programme which provides weekly music-making workshops at the centre.

This track was written and recorded by detainees at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre as part of the Musician In Residence programme which provides weekly music-making workshops at the centre.

This track was written and recorded by detainees at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre as part of the Musician In Residence programme which provides weekly music-making workshops at the centre.

This is a pre-existing song adapted to fit a track recorded in the IRC made with programmed drum beats, piano and electric guitar. The singer wasn’t sure the vocal line would fit with the backing track but he tried it and was really happy with the way it turned out!

In 2018 the street Choirs Festival was hosted by Hullabaloo Community Quire in Brighton. Arranged by Kirsty Martin, this version of "Human" was performed by 900 choir members as part of the Massed Sing on June 30th 2018. Marshall Mandiangu performed with the group and is a participant of Audio Active

This ensemble - created for Refugee Week - included a few of Birmingham's Choir With No Name members as well as refugees based at St Chad's Sanctuary

Choir with No Name runs choirs for homeless and marginalised people. A diverse bunch of people, this branch in Birmingham covered the song "Never Give Up" from Dover Immigration Centre with choir director Pete Churchill

This cover of 'Song of Freedom' was recorded live at the Samphire Ex-Detainee 2018 conference, held at the Amnesty International Offices in London during Refugee Week as part of our Simple Acts call to action 'Sing A Song'.

MID volunteer Sally Jaquet and Xi-mali taught conference delegates the song which was then recorded live at the conference!

Song of Freedom was recorded back in 2008, during a project involving detainees and staff at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre.

Huge thanks to Samphire for inviting us to take part in their conference and to Sally for leading the performance with such energy and enthusiasm. Thanks also to Emily at Refugee Week and everyone who sung with us at the conference! 

Freedom oh, Freedom, is a wonderful cover of original MID track 'Song of Freedom' Sing for a Change! as part of our Simple Acts call to action for Refugee Week 2018.

Arranged by Sara Hunter @SaraHunter1975

Recorded by Max Bandicoot  @MaxBandicoot

Performed by Sing for a Change! A social justice, community organising, choir based in Hackney using the power of music to transform society one song at a time!

Facebook: singforachangehackney

Twitter: sing_forachange

Sara told us why she chose to arrange this song: 

Refugee resettlement and integration is an issue that we have sung about and campaigned for earlier this year at the Hackney Citizens Mayoral Accountability Assembly and we wanted to get involved in Refugee Week. Singing one of Music In Detention’s songs seemed like a wonderful thing to do although we didn’t have the time to learn the recommended songs this one was ideal as it was simple both musically and lyrically - the need for freedom is something we can all relate to. We filmed ourselves singing it to share on social media for Refugee Week and then performed it at the Love Hoxton Summer Fair on Saturday 23rd June to raise awareness about Refugee Week and the work of Music In Detention. We had a very positive response from both our online and live performance.

Song of Freedom was recorded way back in 2008, during a project involving detainees and staff at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre.

Huge thanks to Sara, Max and everyone involved in Sing for a Change! 

This beautiful version of 'Home' was arranged by Nathan J. Waring and is performed by Byrdsong, a choir of professional, semi-professional and amateur singers specialising in Renaissance music, as part of our Simple Acts call to action for Refugee Week 2018.

Conducted by Katie Hawks, the track was performed live on 17th June 2018 at St Mary's Church, Kemptown, Brighton, by Liz Kelly, Rachel Taylor, Clare Bowskill, Jackie Cassell, Maria Birch, Pascale Calcutt, Dan Johnston, Matt Jelf, Roger Floyd and Reuben James.

When asked why he chose to do an arrangement of Home, Nathan said:

"Home instantly stood out as a an idea piece of raw material to develop further. I kept the original idea of beginning with 3-part harmony in a gospel style and then let the music evolve from a single harmonic idea to a whole phrase that would define the entire piece. The words were ideal to  use in a call and response phrasing, with the repetition of the word 'home', becoming more urgent, meaningful and passionate."

This original version was recorded by detainees held at Yarl's Wood detention centre back in 2009. Bedford-based community group Fusion United and Fusion Youth then recorded their own version as direct response. The song uses a repeated line: ‘Home, home, home,’ which is followed up by ideas about what they might miss if they were away from home; for example “I miss my friends” or “cuddle bear” or “brother”. 

Huge thanks to Nathan, Katie & Byrdsong for this beautiful recording.

This amazing version of 'All I Need' was covered by the wonderful Coventry-based Soulful Choir led by Mamajay as part of our Simple Acts call to action for Refugee Week 2018.

Featuring:

Singers:- Mamajay (lead vocals) with Soulful Choir. Musicians:- James Cannock (keyboard, piano, Bass guitar and Drums), Bobby George (Acoustic Rhythm Guitar) Jake Hackett(Lead Guitar)

The track was played on HillzFm (http://www.hillzfm.co.uk/) during Refugee Week 2018.

Thank you to James Cannock from One Nation Studios who kindly donated studio time to make this recording, as well as playing drums, Bass and keyboard! And thank you for Mamajay, for making this real.

'All I Need' was originally written and recorded back in 2012 during a project involving detainees at Harmondsworth IRC and young people engaged in activities through the Challenge Network in Hillingdon. The lyrics came from questions the young people asked detainees at Harmondsworth IRC and the responses they got back. They decided to write the first verse as the voice of an anonymous detainee, and the second verse as the voice of a teenager realising that young people in the UK often take for granted the freedoms, friends and family in their lives.