Lullabies
In 2010 Vital Arts invited Spitalfields musicians onto maternity wards for a pilot singing project to increase and improve the parent child bond, and to provide a positive, pleasant and calming distraction from a stressful environment .
Three musicians sang, taught, learnt and wrote gentle lullabies from around the world in weekly singing workshops. Mothers, fathers and their new born babies wrote simple, soothing lullabies in Bengali, Turkish, Somali, Polish and English.
The activity provided a social activity that helped alleviate boredom among the participants, offering them something to look forward to, and provided and opportunity to share and learn about other patients' cultures.
Outcomes and evaluation
The project was a success, and a second series of workshops were run the following year. The workshops saw repeat participants from week to week, and were fully inclusive for all patients and their visitors.
All families involved received a specially recorded copy of all songs on CD. We invited local artist Rachel Gannon from Ink Illustration to design and illustrate this resource.
The Royal Society of Public Health awarded our joint Lullabies project (2011) a Certificate of Commendation.
“The Committee were very impressed by the musical excellence and innovative character of this project and its significant and moving outcomes for all who took part. The public health implications of your work are clear and substantial. The Committee felt that your work deserves replication and objective scientific assessment, and it hopes that further work will be possible.”
“I was involved in the Vital Arts Lullabies project in February. After my daughter was born your project staff were singing in the ward. It was a very lovely and emotional time and I was so pleased to receive a copy of the CD. I play it to [my daughter] to get her to sleep. It works really well and I will keep the CD for her when she’s older as it’s part of her story.”
Mother on post natal ward
Partner
