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Songs from Solitary
A New Sound is Coming Out of Prison Walls
Inmates aren’t just doing time — they’re rediscovering their voice.
Through our 42-day songwriting journey, incarcerated men and women begin healing from trauma, connecting with God, and creating music that speaks to the soul.
We meet them in the valley, not with sermons… but with songwriting.
Because sometimes, the best worship leader in the room is the one still in chains.
How It Works
This isn’t just a music program. It’s a transformational discipleship path disguised as a songwriting course.
Here’s the rhythm:
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42-Day Curriculum: Tailored for the social context. Built for identity, healing, and expression.
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Weekly Songwriting Lessons: Each one tackles an emotional/spiritual wound like abandonment, shame, anger, addiction, or loss, all led by volunteers, or inmates leaders..
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Real Artist Examples: Each day explores a well-known song (both secular and Christian) to teach healing through melody and metaphor.
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Writing to Performing: Inmates write original songs and perform them or have their songs performed in a live showcase or chapel service.
Curriculum
in the
Streets
Orphanages
&
Behind Bars
Presence Over Performance
"We’re Not Here to Entertain. We’re Here to Equip."
Our teams don’t come in with microphones and platforms. We come in with open ears, open hearts, and open Bibles.
Through one-on-one mentorship, co-writing sessions, and creative intensives, we train the least of these not only to write songs—but to lead worship, process trauma, and disciple others in their proximity.
What Makes Us Different:
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Trauma-informed songwriting methods
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Christ-centered but accessible to all belief backgrounds
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Equips those in it to run the program without us
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Funded and scalable through partnerships, private equity, and minor state-funded pathways
"What They Write Will Break You in the Best Way!"
Each song is a journal entry turned worship set. A confession turned chorus. A lament turned liberation.
Our writing principles help inmates write about:
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Fatherlessness
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Abuse
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Regret
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Addiction
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Spiritual numbness
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Hope, healing, and freedom
Lyrics Ain’t Lying
Unlocked
We’ve Got the Keys —
But We Need You to Open the Doors
elevateHOPE’s curriculum is already approved and running inside select correctional facilities in Texas and Tennessee. But we’re just getting started.
We’re ready to expand this nationally — and globally.
That means building teams, training leaders, and partnering with DOCs, ministries, and churches ready to go in.
You Can Help Us Open More Doors:
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State-funded programs start at just $1 per day per inmate
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$5,000 sponsors a full 6-week cohort
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You or your organization can become a founding partner in a new prison location
From Prison Cells to Film Sets
These songs don’t stop at the prison gate. Through our creative branch, OnTheHouse Media, we’re producing a full-length documentary that follows the songwriting process behind bars.
It’s not just about art — it’s about awakening the world to the stories God is writing behind the razor wire.
Imagine this:
A worship album written in prison.
A docuseries premiering at SXSW.
A song written in solitary becomes the soundtrack to someone’s salvation.
The Big Picture
Testify
We’ve Got the Keys —
But We Need You to Open the Doors
What They’re Saying:
“I’ve been in 13 programs. Nothing has helped me like this songwriting course. It changed the way I see God—and myself.”
— Inmate, Texas State Jail
“This made me feel human again. Not just a number. Like...I can actually feel again.”
— Inmate, Tennessee DOC
“My daughter heard my song. She said, ‘Daddy, that was beautiful.’ I’ve never heard her say that before because before this program she wouldn't speak to me.”
— Inmate, Parchman State Prison, Mississippi
Every Prison Has a Soundtrack. Help Us Rewrite It.
You don’t have to be a songwriter to change a life.
You just have to say yes to showing up.
3 Ways to Join the Movement:
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Partner With Us: Bring this curriculum to your prison, state program, or ministry
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Support Financially: Your giving opens new doors and funds creative materials
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Volunteer Your Voice: Be part of the songwriting, mentorship, or showcase experience