Build-A-Guitar Workshop brings the joy of music to the Turney Center Industrial Complex

NASHVILLE – The Turney Center Industrial Complex partnered with multiple organizations over the weekend to host a Build-A-Guitar workshop for inmates in the facility’s Music Club. President Emeritus of Belmont University, Dr. Bob Fisher, who now sits on the Board of Directors at the Tennessee-based nonprofit, Instrumental Horizons, coordinated the event - where inmates received expert instruction from one of Nashville’s top luthiers and crafted 10 handmade guitars to be used at the facility.

“Since becoming involved at Turney as a professor in Belmont University's bachelor's degree program a couple of years ago, I have been amazed at the men I have encountered there,” Fisher said.  “The strength of character, sense of purpose, desire to serve others, and kindness they've communicated to me go far beyond anything I expected.”

Instrumental Horizons, whose mission is to share the joy of music by donating instruments and volunteering services to challenged communities around the world, raised funds to purchase the materials and tools needed for the workshop. Luke Putney, who has faced blindness, tumors, brain surgeries, and incredible odds, founded the nonprofit determined to change the world, hoping to inspire others to face their lives with a more optimistic perspective.

“When I started my charity, Instrumental Horizons, I hoped that one day we could bring the joy of music to the incarcerated,” said Luke Putney, Founder & President of Instrumental Horizons. “Today, along with Turney Center Industrial Complex, not only is Instrumental Horizons sharing the joy of music, but we’re also sharing valuable guitar building skills with the hardworking men here.” 

During Saturday’s workshop, expert luthier and Owner of Blom Guitars, Dan Blom, and his wife, Cindy, guided two dozen inmates through the guitar-making process - which included assembling the various components, installing hardware, and wiring the electronics.

"Blom Guitars exists to craft instruments that inspire stories you tell through music.  At the same time, we're committed to partnering in care for individuals and families on the frontlines of trauma, mental illness and addiction--supporting healing through every note,” said Blom.

The finished guitars were donated to the Music Club at TCIX, which provides valuable rehabilitation to inmates through emotional, social, and cognitive development.

“Music plays a powerful role in the lives of incarcerated individuals,” said Taurean James, Warden of the Turney Center Industrial Complex. “Perhaps most importantly, involvement in music is linked to lower rates of recidivism, as it supports rehabilitation and personal growth. Whether through learning an instrument, writing songs, or performing in a group, music has the power to transform lives behind bars.”

With the help of Dr. Fisher and other local nonprofits, the Music Club has arranged for various musical artists, including Kix Brooks, to perform at the facility, and has participated in a songwriting seminar taught by two award-winning songwriting professors from Belmont. In the future, the TCIX Music Club hopes to expand the program by building a small recording studio connected to their classroom.