By Kristina Goetz
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Dr. Catherine Roma, a music professor at Wilmington College, leads the Umoja Men's Chorus as they sing "Do it for the Children" at the Warren Correctional Institution in Lebanon Thursday. (Glenn Hartong photo)

LEBANON - In a cramped room with bare walls, the basses are on the right, middle range front and center, and the tenors stand to the left.

With the same spirit as a Sunday church choir, these men's voices erupt in harmony as they sway and snap to gospel standards like "Precious Lord" and some compositions of their own. But instead of long robes, they stand side by side in matching navy pants and light blue shirts, the uniform for inmates at Warren Correctional Institution in Lebanon.

Among the group are men serving life sentences for violent crimes, including aggravated murder and rape.

But under the direction of Catherine Roma, a music professor at Wilmington College, the Umoja Men's Chorus sounds angelic. Her hands move from keyboard to sheet music and gesture toward the group as she blends their voices during their weekly practice at the prison.

"When you hear them sing, you'll sit there and say to yourself, 'Why is this person in a high-security correctional facility in Lebanon, Ohio?'" said Richard Jesko, the warden's assistant.

"It's a rather weird contrast. You have guys who have done some pretty heinous crimes, but they also do some good things."

ABOUT THE CD

What: Do It for the Children, a CD of songs sung by a group of inmates at the Warren Correctional Institution in Lebanon, Ohio. It is the second CD they have produced. The first, Feel Like Going On, was recorded in 1996. Who: Umoja Men's Chorus is made up of 20 inmates at Warren Correctional Institution. Umoja is the Swahili word for unity, which, along with gratitude, faith, working together and searching for peace, reflects the theme for the 14-song recording. Cost: $15 plus $2 shipping. Proceeds: Money raised from CD sales will go to local charities, including the Children's Defense Fund in southwest Ohio, the George Foster Home in Dayton, Ohio, and other charities in the area that focus on children. To purchase: Call (800) 341-9318, ext. 368.

With the help of O'Neal Music and the Praise Factory Recording Studio - both in College Hill - one of those "good things" is a CD that will be available for the first time this weekend. It's called Do It for the Children, and proceeds from the sale of the compilation will go to charities in Cincinnati and Dayton that help youth.

It's the second CD the prison choir has produced. The first, Feel Like Going On, was released in 1996. The group will also perform at the prison tonight with the Martin Luther King Coalition Chorale - a group Roma co-founded and directs - to commemorate the civil rights leader's life as the national holiday approaches Monday.

"It's a great thing to give back to the community," said Eddie Robertson, 45, who is serving a life sentence for aggravated murder. "Because so many of us have taken from our communities, it's only right that we do something to give back."

Robertson, who was born in Cincinnati and grew up in Dayton, wrote the score and words to the first song, "All For One," just after riots scarred Cincinnati streets in April 2001.

Though nearly a dozen colleges across the state offer educational training to inmates for credit through the Ohio Central School System, Wilmington is the only school that offers regular instruction from a college professor for the non-credit extracurricular choir program.

It's part of Roma's teaching duties, school officials say, and a manifestation of Wilmington's interest to educate those who are incarcerated. In the 10 years since the choir's inception, between 60 and 75 inmates have participated.

"It means a lot to me to be going in there," Roma said. "We have some guys who know so much about music innately. It's a gift. And I have people who haven't sung a day in their lives, but they're compelled to come. I feel so proud that half of the pieces on the new CD are by inmates."

The logistics of recording the CD weren't simple. Roma practiced with the group using a keyboard and piano first. Recording equipment was brought into the prison to record the men's voices with simple accompaniment. And then, other instruments were mixed in at the recording studio to create a richer sound.

The inmates heard the CD for the first time Thursday morning after a practice session in a small classroom in the vocational building at the prison compound.

"Is that us?" Robertson asked as Roma hit "play."

"That's what it sounds like, the real thing," she said back to them.

Warden Wanza Jackson said she supports the program because it's important to provide positive activities for the inmates to be involved in. "Music can be therapy," she said. "Dr. Roma is very energetic, not only in teaching them how to sing but in looking at music from a different perspective. And people are impressed because they really are very good."

E-mail kgoetz@enquirer.com