The Lullaby Project

About the Lullaby Project

Connection and healing through music

The Lullaby Project, a free program, pairs pregnant women and new parents with Teaching Artists to write and record personal lullabies for their babies, supporting maternal health, aiding childhood development, and strengthening the bond between parent and child. This is a partnership between Cantata Singers, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute. For information or inquiries, contact Lydia Consilvio at lconsilvio@cantatasingers.org.

How it Works

0 Cost
1 Zoom Meeting
2 Hours
Eternal Lullaby

The Lullaby Project is welcome to all pregnant women, new families with infants, and also to parents who lost their babies in any stage of pregnancy or infancy.

A Teaching Artist will work with your schedule to find a time to meet on Zoom for one or two brainstorming/writing sessions.

Once the lullaby is complete, the Teaching Artist will record the lullaby for you.

No musical experience is needed — Cantata Singers will guide you through the songwriting process.

Why lullabies?

A lullaby is a simple and intimate expression of the most universal human condition, the bond between parent and child. These personal songs bring people together, span generations, and tell stories about where we come from, who we are now, and our hopes for the future.

What are the goals of the Lullaby Project?

The Lullaby Project uses personal songwriting and lullabies as a tool to support family well-being, strengthen the connections between parent and child, and promote early child development. Through the songwriting process, families creatively and artistically express their hopes and dreams for their children.

What is the role of music in early childhood development?

Babies love the sound of their parent’s voice, and singing together can help strengthen the bond between parent and child. Research shows that singing songs—like lullabies—supports early brain and language development.

What is the impact of the project?

Parents experience a growing sense of their own agency, creativity, well-being, self-confidence and capacity to be loving, sensitive and responsive care givers. In some cases, writing a lullaby can ignite a much longer process of communicating and connecting with one’s family and community. The lullaby is a gift that can be passed down not only to the child, but also the generations to come.

Lullaby Treasures

The Lullaby Project offers parents a chance to heal by writing a musical tribute to babies lost in any stage of pregnancy or infancy. Co-written with a sensitive Teaching Artist, Lullaby Treasures are meant to honor and cherish lost loved ones. If you or someone you know may be interested in creating a Lullaby Treasure, please contact Lydia Consilvio at lconsilvio@cantatasingers.org for more information or inquiries.

FROM THE FAMILIES

"I have wanted to be a mother for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately, my journey to become a Mom was challenging at best, but when Madilynn arrived, her Dad and I were overjoyed, and it was all worthwhile. She was perfect. A sweet, fragile, tiny little thing that brought instant joy to our lives. Then came the unthinkable. Maddy was diagnosed with a rare liver disease, and everything changed. She had her first surgery when she was 9 weeks old, and at just 8 months old we were told she would need a liver transplant.
When I heard about the Lullaby Project, I was so excited to write something I could sing to Maddy to get us through the hard times and remind us how far we had already come. I wrote this lullaby with my husband and Lydia during one of Maddy's hospitalizations due to complications with her liver. It was so much fun to write, and I absolutely love how it turned out. I sang it to her as I rocked her to sleep that night, and the lullaby has become part of our nightly routine. Maddy is as strong and resilient as ever, and now our journey has been immortalized in song thanks to Lydia and the Lullaby Project."
— Valerie Sinnamon
"I’ve wanted to be a mother since I was a little girl. My husband and I got married in 2018 and immediately began trying for a family. After five years of losses and grief, we were told that our chance was less than 1% to conceive with the medical intervention. In the summer of 2023, we were overjoyed to discover we were pregnant, and for the first time, the ultrasound showed the baby in the right spot. Due to health complications, Lillian Joy Louise Slater came six weeks early weighing 4lbs and 15oz. Other than being small, she was as healthy as she could be! We are so thankful for our miracle and true gift from above.

Working with Lydia to write the lullaby was one of the greatest memories of being pregnant. When she sent us the final version, we just cried. The music was beautiful, and being able to have a song about this miraculous baby to sing to her in the womb was such a priceless gift. We started singing the song to her every day for about a month before she was born.

On the day of Lillian’s birth, my husband got his phone and started playing the lullaby in the delivery room as they were cleaning up the baby. The lullaby added so much to the moment and the celebration. Now we have such a joyous song to sing to her, and we sing it multiple times a day. It is the most beautiful gift to have a song just for her that reminds us of the journey, hopes, and prayers that we have for the rest of her life. The Lullaby Project is one of the coolest things I've ever been a part of, and I know that this song will be passed through the generations of our family!"

— Jennifer Slater
“My daughter's first year carried some significant trauma for my husband and me that we're still recovering from, but throughout everything, she herself has been a constant source of joy and wonder. For my lullaby, I wanted to capture my love for her and the delightful qualities she already shows at her young age. Lydia, my songwriting partner, was so supportive in helping me get started, giving musical and lyrical suggestions, and pushing my ideas further. Together, we crafted a sweet little piece with some charming elements I wouldn't have thought up on my own. For the recording, she even thought to include an audio clip of my daughter's laughter, which was such a great touch. Our lullaby is very specific to my kid, and I love singing it to her as I get her ready to sleep. It's created a really lovely ritual between the two of us. I'm so glad I participated in the Lullaby Project!”
— Tiffany James Jeng

FLYER

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