The hallways at Lund’s residential program have been ringing and trilling lately with the sweet sounds of the mandolin and gentle piano notes. Lund has partnered with Vermont group Scrag Mountain Music and Writers for Recovery to participate in Carnegie Hall’s Lullaby Project. This project pairs professional musicians with new and expecting mothers to create unique songs for their infants. Through a series of writing and music sessions, new and expecting parents at Lund have worked with instructors to develop unique songs for their babies.
Scrag Mountain Music co-Artistic Director Mary Bonhag says, “We have hoped to bring this special model to Vermont for some time now, and doing it timed with our 10th anniversary season seemed like a meaningful opportunity. We have so enjoyed working with the new parents on this process and look forward to seeing and sharing the end results.”
The group takes place during one of Lund’s weekly playgroups and parents have been encouraged and supported through every stage of the process. Singing can be intimidating for many people and there were few people coming into the group who really believed that they would be able to write a song. But they can and they have. The resulting songs are beautiful, full of truth and absolutely unique. It is amazing to think that the babies and toddlers who hear these songs, written just for them, might remember them for the rest of their lives.
Musical parenting expert Amy Robbins-Wilson explains in her article Soothe with Singing that lullabies are important because they are “healing music…that is like getting a sonic massage. Lullabies are a great way to help babies and children feel comforted and loved, teach language and form brain pathways at the same time. The various tones and rhythms found in music and lullabies help to lay the foundation for learning mathematical patterns. The social, emotional, and intellectual intelligence that babies begin to learn through lullabies set the foundational skills that are necessary to succeed both in school and in life.”
The songs will be performed at a three night series of concerts featuring Mary and her Co-Director at Scrag Mountain Music, Evan Premo. They will be joined by harpist Jacqueline Kerrod and viola player Jason Amos. The songs will be part of a longer performance of lullaby inspired music that features selections from Aaron Copland’s All the Pretty Little Horses, Alec Wilder’s Nightsongs and Lullabies, and The Weavers’ Tomorrow Lies in the Cradle. The concerts will be held on Friday, November 8, 2019 at 7:30 pm (Contois Auditorium in Burlington City Hall, 149 Church St, Burlington), Saturday, November 9, 2019 at 7:30 pm (Unitarian Church of Montpelier, 130 Main St., Montpelier, VT), and Sunday, November 10, 2019 at 4 pm (Warren United Church, 339 Main St., Warren, VT). There will also be a special performance at Lund’s residential program to allow all the participating parents to hear their lullabies performed and join in to sing, if they wish.
