The Lullaby Project: Creating cherished songs through community collaboration

“It takes a village to raise a child,” according to the well-known African proverb, and Overture Center embodies this by offering a unique space for supporting parents. The Lullaby Project aims to build a nurturing community for new and expectant parents and caregivers through the connective power of music.

This  international program was created and established by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, and the Madison project is now entering its fourth year, bringing extraordinary artistic experiences beyond the walls of Overture Center and infusing the arts into the fabric of family life. It was one of just a few arts programs to grow throughout the pandemic, a grounding network during a time of social isolation.

“The Lullaby Project utilizes music in a unique way,” says Henry Alloway, a teaching artist and Overture’s education and community engagement coordinator. “Not a lot of projects are tied to both music and parenting, marrying those two concepts together.” 

Through Overture’s partnerships with Capital High Parenting, Unity Point Health-Meriter's parenting communities and Harambee Village, parents and caregivers connect with local teaching artists who have background in songwriting. In true collaboration, teaching artists work one-on-one with participants, providing the musical tools and guidance to write a personal lullaby for their child. Participants need not have any previous musical experience. Rather, the teaching artists meet them where they are at, providing them with a process to express themselves creatively as they write a song.

“We can take them at any stage, molding the process to individual,” according to Alloway, who loves “getting to see the parents warm up (to you) as they come out of their shell and engage with the project.” 

Overture’s partners provide support services for new and expectant mothers and their families, some of whom are dealing with a range of adversities and trauma. Through partnership with these organizations, songwriting provides an affirming expressive outlet for navigating the many challenges and emotions that go hand in hand with becoming a new parent. Participants write their own narrative about their child and choose how to share that with their support systems. The songs become a family legacy and a parenting tool for participants to use.  

“Music is a great way to heal and to soothe,” said teaching artist Autumn Maria Reed. “I want to help share that gift with other people. I firmly believe that everyone has a musical gift in some way, shape or form, and I want to help bring it out.” 

Prior to meeting with the teaching artists, participants engage in a reflection process, using tools and prompts provided in a lullaby journal. In a parent-to-child letter, participants express their hopes and dreams for their child, which serves as a springboard of inspiration for the new song.

During the songwriting sessions, teaching artists spend time getting to know the participants and establishing a safe space for creativity. Together they explore and develop the musical elements and lyrics, and the songs are authentically tailored to each mother and child. This work involves a deep vulnerability for both the participants and the teaching artists, so community partners play a critical collaborative role throughout the sessions as well. For the parents and caregivers, it asks that they share personal intentions for their child. Over a few sessions, they craft a one-of-a-kind lullaby as unique as each child’s fingerprints. The songs are professionally recorded as a loving keepsake for families. 

"Lucy’s song is officially part of our bedtime routine,” said past participants Bretta and Andy about their daughter’s lullaby. “Out of every gift she’s ever received, this song is the most cherished. The best part about it is she will never outgrow it."

For the teaching artists, their music bears a responsibility to honor the parents’ wishes and life experiences, creating a work that is meaningful for the individuals involved. “What we do is actually really challenging, coming up with a song on the spot for someone else,” says lead teaching artist Laura Lang. “We help them shape the way they will share their story, but the process really is driven by their interests, their words, their language.” 

Lang’s role with the Lullaby Project fully integrates her professional and personal experiences. A songwriter since her teens, Lang started her career in public education, working with at-risk youth in the Chicago Public School system over 20 years ago. Now an instructional coach, she works with teachers to achieve their professional goals, taking them “from where they are to where they want to be.”  

In her role as lead teaching artist, Lang plans with the partner organizations and supports the teaching team. This collaborative culture allows the teaching artists to learn and benefit from individuals’ strengths and talents. As performers, they join forces for the album’s recording at Audio for the Arts, and the songs shared with the broader community at Overture’s Kids in the Rotunda program. A distinctive facet to Overture’s Lullaby Project, this free public performance (in-person and livestream) will take place at the Rotunda Stage on Saturday, April 29. 

Listen to the 2019/20 Lullaby Project album 

To support the Lullaby Project or get involved, contact Alanna Medearis, director of programming and community engagement, at amedearis@overture.org.

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