Beyond the Bars
Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail Inmate Programs

Rhythm & Resiliency Class

Rhythm and Resilience Program Description

Rhythm and Resilience was created from the inspiration and financial support of Tussi Kluge to combine two healing modalities, mindfulness based stress reduction and drumming, into a program designed to improve the well being of inmates.

The pilot program began at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail in the spring of 2009. MBSR instructor Tussi Kluge in collaboration with professional drummer and UVA music professor Robert Jospé began leading classes and forming the curriculum with breathing techniques, body scan, drumming skills, rhythmic vocabulary, call and response, stretching and movement. The classes facilitate greater concentration and focus, and also seek to enhance self-esteem, self-awareness and creative expression through individual and group participation in an environment conducive to self and group empowerment. Originally the pilot program included both men’s and women’s groups.

Rhythm and Resilience has now grown to include other instructors: drummers Nathan West, Daniel Scruggs, Chris Garay and yoga teachers, Esther Lozano, Kate Hallahan, and Alexi Bell. As the program continues an 8-week syllabus will be developed.

  • 75-minute class
  • 2 + instructors
  • Weekly meetings /8-week syllabus
  • Class “divided” into 4 parts:
  • Introduction, mindfulness, body scan
  • Drumming,
  • Rhythm education, call and response,
  • Stretching/Yoga.
  • All parts are fluid and combine some elements of each; i.e., drumming involves standing and “dance”, stretching involves the beat.

Rhythm & Resilience classes will be offered as a re-entry program and to at risk members of the Charlottesville-Albemarle community beginning in the spring of 2010.

Special thanks to Phyllis Back of the ACRJ for working so closely with R&R and advising, facilitating, supporting and logistically organizing the program at the Jail and to Janet Jospé for consulting and contributing to the vision of the program.

Robert Jospé Bio
Drummer Robert Jospé started his playing career in the New York jazz and rock scene soon after attending New York University in the early 1970s.  He has studied and worked with some of the greatest names in jazz including Tony Williams, Michael Brecker, John Scofield and Dave Liebman. He was a co-leader of the fusion band, Cosmology, and a member of the original TR3 band with Tim Reynolds.

In 1989 Jospé joined the University of Virginia’s music department’s performance faculty where he teaches jazz drumming and a rhythmic fluency course “Learn to Groove”. He is a member of the McIntire Department of Music faculty jazz ensemble, The Free Bridge Quintet. In 1990 Jospé released his first CD and formed his own group, Inner Rhythm. Jospé and Inner Rhythm have released four CDs since 1999. Since 1992 he has received an annual touring grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts for his band and an educational lecture/demonstration program, The World Beat Workshop, that highlights the history and varied styles of African influenced dance music throughout the Americas. Both the band and the workshop have an active schedule performing in schools, universities, correctional facilities, libraries, festivals and clubs from New York to Honolulu.

In  2009 MBSR instructor Tussi Kluge in collaboration with Jospé created a pilot program, Rhythm and Resilience, designed to improve the well being of inmates through MBSR and drumming and began leading classes at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.

Jospé also performs and records with many local groups including SGGL, John D’earth quartet, Bobby Read, Beleza Brasil, Hod O’Brien and Stephanie Nakasian.

www.robertjospe.com