Overture Center expands its Lullaby Project with Lullaby Circle group experience
Shari Gasper
“Watching them open up during the creative process is mind blowing. And even better is knowing the parents and caregivers sing the lullabies to their children, who learn the songs and sing along. It’s cool to know what we’re doing in the Lullaby Project is making a difference.”
Families and teaching artists harmonized on Saturday, Nov. 18 in a Lullaby Project song-writing session at Madison’s Pinney Library with heartfelt lyrics: “These are things I love about you; these are things I want to say. These are things that I love about you, and I want to say them every day.”
The afternoon fostered conversations about parenting and children, with new and expecting parents sharing their experiences and dreams. In addition to camaraderie and support, the purpose of the Lullaby Circle was to create a song together with professional teaching artists through Overture Center’s Lullaby Project, a project of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute.
The event was Overture’s first time partnering with Madison Public Library’s Parents as First Teachers program, which shares early literacy materials with families through Public Health Madison & Dane County home visiting nurses. Families receiving home nursing services were invited to participate in the Lullaby Circle.
“There’s a strong tie between singing and literacy, which makes this a meaningful partnership,” said Tracy Moore, early learning librarian at Pinney Library. “This is such a joyful project, and the families take pride in creating something personal for their child.”
Madeleine Kain, youth services librarian at Lakeview branch, agrees.
“Our Parents as First Teachers program and the Lullaby Project prioritize similar groups and goals,” said Kain. “We hope to build connections among families and strengthen bonds between parents, caregivers and children.”
Through Parents as First Teachers, Madison Public Library distributes more than 500 literacy packs annually, which include a letter to parents/caregivers, parenting resources, coloring sheets and a booklet with activities to inspire singing, playing, writing, talking and reading. Packs cater to two age groups: birth through 35 months and 3-5 years, available bilingually in English and Spanish.
Overture Center recently enriched the library’s resources by gifting Lullaby Project CDs to all branches. Additionally, they will provide links to lullabies for inclusion on the library’s web page. Teaching artists are also working on creating more music for songs and rhymes in the literacy packs.
“This means the voices of parents in the project, their hopes, dreams and stories are shared with the broader community,” said Alanna Medearis, Overture’s director of education and community engagement.
Rebecca Redmann is the lead teaching artist for Overture’s Lullaby Project, which has 10 teaching artists.
“All the creative experiences I’ve had over my lifetime are put to use in this project,” said Redmann. “Working with families, processing their experiences and turning them into a song is extremely rewarding.”
Having participated for two years and co-writing nearly 20 lullabies, Redmann noted common themes, such as soothing phrases, images of rocking and snuggling, shared hopes, dreams and boundless potential for the babies. Yet each song remains unique, tailored to the family’s story.
The creative process begins with conversations about the parents’ experiences, leading to brainstorming sessions for words and phrases. Melodies are then explored, resulting in a personalized lullaby.
At the recent Lullaby Circle, five teaching artists collaborated with the families with guitar, cello, ukulele, trumpet and piano. Rather than pairing teaching artists with families, the entire group collaborated to create a song that represented the group experience.
“Ultimately, the families had an opportunity to share what they loved about their kiddos with a wider network of peers, in a variety of languages, and it was a joy to see the young children exploring each other and engaging with the music while their parents had the chance to be creative together,” said Redmann.
She especially enjoys watching reserved young moms transform during the creative process and witnessing their pride in the song they’ve written.
“Watching them open up during the creative process is mind blowing,” she said. “And even better is knowing the parents and caregivers sing the lullabies to their children, who learn the songs and sing along. It’s cool to know what we’re doing in the Lullaby Project is making a difference.”
Librarian Kain emphasized the program’s immeasurable value, stating, “Creating a unique lullaby for these families is powerful, and it’s all free through the Lullaby Project.”
The Lullaby Project’s collaboration with Parents as First Teachers extends its reach, fostering creativity, community and lasting connections among families through the universal language of music.