Carnegie Hall

(New York, NY, June 8, 2020)— Carnegie Hall today announced that the Weill Music Institute’s (WMI) Lullaby Project has expanded its free digital offerings providing fun and interactive music activities for families at home with babies and toddlers. Designed to encourage learning and discovery, these activities include a how-to-write-a-lullaby video; tips on writing your own lullaby; a playlist featuring a collection of Lullaby Project favorite songs for singing with your baby; and streaming from Decca Gold’s (Universal Music Group), Hopes & Dreams: The Lullaby Project, an album of original lullabies written by workshop participants and performed by leading artists. In addition, two recently published videos for families with little ones feature a behind-the-scenes look into the recording process of original songs. For the full list of WMI online resources that support parents who want to bring music into their homes, click here. These engaging activities for children of all ages include digital concert experiences, games, “Music Moments,” an activity series that encourages music-making through movement, soothing exercises, play, and brain building activities; webinars to explore music from different cultures around the globe while developing basic singing and listening skills; and more.

On Friday, June 12 at 2:00 p.m. EDT, Carnegie Hall’s annual Lullaby Project Celebration Concert will be featured as an episode of the Hall’s new online series, Learn with Carnegie Hall. The virtual performance will stream for free on carnegiehall.org/learn, as well as the Hall’s Facebook and Instagram pages. This year’s concert for families and Lullaby partners will feature recorded performances from Lullaby Project teaching artists in their homes alongside stories behind the songs and the community of artists, songwriters, and partners who worked together to create them. This intimate concert will feature many songs written this year across New York City partner sites as well as from families across the US and abroad. The concert will also feature a special message from Congresswoman Grace Meng, representative of the 6th congressional district in Queens, New York, who will share her support for the Lullaby Project’s mission of encouraging music-making in families and maternal health. “I commend the Carnegie Hall partnering organizations, the professional musicians, and most importantly the moms, for bringing attention to the importance of supporting families and young children … more than ever, it is vital to engage in activities such as creative singing and sharing lullabies to promote family and maternal health, and invest in the development and well-being of young ones in our communities,” said Congresswoman Meng. Learn with Carnegie Hall is designed to highlight the wide range of music education and social impact activities created by WMI and Ensemble Connect, focusing on the power of music to spark growth, curiosity, and connection. A schedule of upcoming episodes and archived programs available for on-demand viewing can be found on carnegiehall.org/learn.

“Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute knows the tremendous impact that great music can have on people's lives. We create meaningful experiences for parents and young children to connect through music making,” said Sarah Johnson, Chief Education Officer and Director of WMI. “We are excited to pivot our work to the digital space, to ensure ongoing music-making and play in families' lives across the globe during this challenging time. Writing a lullaby allows families to express their own wishes and dreams, love, and hopes for their child, nurturing kids’ love of music while also building strong early communication skills and supporting parents in their role as their first teachers.”

On June 11 and 12, 2020, over 60 Lullaby Project partners across the US and around the globe will gather virtually for their annual convening leading up to the celebration concert on June 12. This year, current and prospective partners will participate in a webinar to engage in dialogue on collaborative songwriting, participate in a session led by Takiema Bunche-Smith on equitable practices when working with families, and share best practices. Dr. Dennie Palmer Wolf, an expert in the field, will lead evaluation sessions for the partners, to provide feedback and strategies to continue great work in their respective locations. Additional researchers to present alongside Dr. Dennie Palmer Wolf include: Michael Feigelson, Chief Executive, VanLeer Group; Dr. Jim Reid, University of Huddersfield; and Dr. Laurel Trainor, McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind. This is the first time that international partners will be able to participate in the conference thanks to the transition to the digital space.

 

 

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About the Lullaby Project
Carnegie Hall’s Lullaby Project pairs new parents with professional artists to write personal lullabies for their babies, supporting maternal health, aiding child development, and strengthening the bond between parent and child. In New York City this year, the project will reach 300 families at 10 different sites, including healthcare settings, homeless shelters, high schools, foster care, and correctional facilities. Extending across the country and through several international programs, the Lullaby Project enables more than 40 national and international partner organizations to support families in their own communities, including work with partners in Australia, Greece, Italy, Canada, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

The first Lullaby Project took place at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx in December 2011, and since then more than 2,000 families have written original songs for their children, many of which are available for listening and sharing at soundcloud.com/CarnegieHallLullaby. Lullabies have been written in over 20 different languages and a wide range of musical styles, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of families that participate in the program.

 

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To better understand the effect of music in early childhood development, Carnegie Hall has commissioned two research papers from Dr. Dennie Palmer Wolf, an expert in the field. The first, titled Why Making Music Matters: Singing, Playing, Moving, and Sharing in the Early Years, points to several key reasons why investing in children early and often is critical to healthy development and a successful future—and demonstrates that music can play a role in everyday interactions that support our next generation. The most recent paper, Lullaby: Being Together, Being Well, takes a closer look at how and why lullabies make a difference. The research highlights how the Lullaby Project not only helps families come together and imagine a positive future for children, but how, in some cases, writing a lullaby can support a much longer process of connecting and communicating, resonating with parents, grandparents, musicians, staff, and community members. Dr. Dennie Palmer Wolf has shared her Lullaby Project research on panels across the US and internationally, most recently as a part of International Day of Action for Women’s Health with Lullaby partner, Grandes Oyentes.

 

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About Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute
Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute (WMI) creates visionary programs that embody Carnegie Hall’s commitment to music education, playing a central role in fulfilling the Hall’s mission of making great music accessible to as many people as possible. With unparalleled access to the world’s greatest artists, WMI’s programs are designed to inspire audiences of all ages, nurture tomorrow’s musical talent, and harness the power of music to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. An integral part of Carnegie Hall’s concert season, these programs facilitate creative expression, develop musical skills and capacities at all levels, and encourage participants to make lifelong personal connections to music. The Weill Music Institute generates new knowledge through original research and is committed to giving back to its community and the field, sharing an extensive range of online music education resources and program materials for free with teachers, orchestras, arts organizations, and music lovers worldwide. Nearly 600,000 people each year engage in WMI’s programs through national and international partnerships, in New York City schools and community settings, and at Carnegie Hall. This includes more than half a million students and teachers worldwide who participate in WMI’s Link Up music education program for students in grades 3 through 5, made possible through Carnegie Hall partnerships with over 115 orchestras in the US from Alaska to Puerto Rico, as well as internationally in Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, Kenya, and Spain.

For more information, please visit: carnegiehall.org/Education

 

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Support for Learn with Carnegie Hall is provided by Hope and Robert F. Smith, and the Siegel Family Foundation.

Lead support for the Lullaby Project is provided by Nicola and Beatrice Bulgari, The ELMA Music Foundation (U.S.), William Penn Foundation, and an anonymous donor.

Major funding is provided by Ameriprise Financial, MetLife Foundation, and Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).

Additional support has been provided by JMCMRJ Sorrell Foundation and Mary Anne Huntsman Morgan and The Huntsman Foundation.

Public support has been provided by the NYC Health+Hospitals Arts in Medicine Department, with support from the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, and the Department of Correction in partnership with the Office of the Manhattan Borough President.

The Weill Music Institute's programs are made available to a nationwide audience, in part, by an endowment grant from the Citi Foundation.



Image at top of release by © Stephanie Berger.