This season, The Learning Alliance (TLA) will serve as a national partner for the Lullaby Project, a program of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute (WMI) that pairs new and expecting parents and caregivers with professional artists to write personal lullabies for their babies. The participants are offered a creative opportunity to communicate feelings, hopes, and dreams as they look to the future with their child. The Lullaby Project supports parental health, aids childhood development, and strengthens the bond between parent and child.
The lullaby is a simple and intimate expression. These personal songs bring people together, span generations, and tell stories about where we come from, who we are, and our hopes for the future. The first three years of life are crucial for a child’s development, with 80 percent of the brain developing in these first years.
Lullaby lyrics can soothe a child and provide important opportunities to hear new vocabulary and figurative language. Singing lullabies can also strengthen the relationship between children and their caregivers during this crucial period of life.
TLA team members Shanti Sanchez and Bridget Lyons participated in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute’s 2023 Lullaby Project International Convening in New York City this past summer. These cohorts bring a collective 60 years of experience in arts, music, and early childhood education to the Indian River County Lullaby Project as facilitators. Additionally, both have completed immersive training at the University of Florida’s Center for Arts and Medicine.
“We intend to support local families by making lullaby creation and singing a cornerstone of TLA’s Moonshot Families Read, Talk, Play, Sing, Create framework for early literacy,” shares Sanchez, TLA Lullaby Project program manager.
IRC Healthy Start Coalition (IRCHSC) director of programs Stacey Washburn and Mike Felton, IRCHS fatherhood engagement coordinator, also attended the summer Lullaby Project Convening with an interest in collaborating with TLA to offer the lullaby creation experience to the families they serve as the county’s leader in maternal and child health. Healthy Start‘s mission is to support a local system of care that optimizes the health of moms, babies, and their families.
“Indian River County Healthy Start recognizes the importance of language nutrition and the value of lullaby creation for the young families they serve, from pregnant women to families with children from birth to age 5,” says Sanchez.
“Through the harmony of our collaboration with The Learning Alliance, we weave the gift of words and melody, nurturing a future where lullabies become a timeless bridge to literacy, connecting families and their babies to a world of dreams,” says Megan McFall, IRCHSC CEO.
"A lullaby is a father's whispered promise, a melody that cradles dreams, and a timeless bond woven in notes,” says Mike Felton, IRCHSC Fatherhood Engagement Coordinator.
In New York City, the Lullaby Project reaches parents and caretakers in hospitals, homeless shelters, schools, and various education, health, social service, and justice settings. The first Lullaby Project took place at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, New York, in December 2011. Since then, more than 4,000 families have written original songs for their children, many of which are available for listening and sharing at carnegiehall.org/lullabies. Lullabies have been written in more than 40 languages and a wide range of musical styles, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of participating families.
“The Learning Alliance is so pleased to be associated with both Carnegie Hall nationally and Healthy Start locally to be of service to our families with this beautiful project that will connect parents with their kids and their hopes and dreams for them forever,” says Barbara Hammond, TLA CEO and co-founder.”
For a sneak peek of the beautiful music our families are making together, watch this video.
The Learning Alliance and Healthy Start are thrilled to announce The Lullaby Project concert. Families will gather to share their lullabies on April 25 at 6 p.m. at the Women’s Club of Vero Beach. Seating is limited. If interested in attending, please emailssanchez@thelearningalliance.org.
To learn more about the Indian River County Lullaby Project, visit TheLearningAlliance.org/families or contact Shanti Sanchez at ssanchez@thelearningalliance.org.
