Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute Programs for Early Childhood Benefit NYC Families

Throughout this season, hundreds of families and children have opportunities for free musical learning, play, discovery, and connection through Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute's (WMI) wide range of early childhood programs.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this season, the Lullaby Project pairs new and expectant parents and caregivers with professional artists to write and sing personal lullabies for their babies, supporting maternal health, aiding child development, and strengthening the bond between parent and child. Over the past 10 years, the Lullaby Project has experienced tremendous growth. The first Lullaby Project took place at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx in December 2011, and since then more than 2,800 families have written original songs for their children, hundreds of which are available for listening and sharing on Carnegie Hall's Lullaby Soundcloud page, which currently has nearly 89,000 listens in more than 50 countries. Partners in New York City, nationally, and across the globe serve nearly 600 families annually. Click here to watch as parents reflect on the impact of the Lullaby Project.

Through the Lullaby Project, parents are offered a creative opportunity to communicate feelings, hopes, and dreams for their child, working side by side with professional musicians to write lyrics and music. Lullabies have been written in more than 20 different languages and a wide range of musical styles, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of families that participate in the program. At the end of the songwriting process, each parent receives a recording of their lullaby to listen to and sing with their baby to further support parent-child bonding and early childhood development.

In New York City, the project reaches approximately 250 families this year through digital residencies-due to the ongoing COVID pandemic-through partnerships with several city agencies, including NYC Health + Hospitals, CUNY, and New York-Presbyterian Hospital. The project also reaches families annually in homeless shelters, high schools, correctional facilities, and other community centers. From September to June, Carnegie Hall teaching artists work with community sites over Zoom to write and sing personal lullabies with participants. Carnegie Hall also provides free resources and materials throughout the season to partners to inspire musical learning in their communities. Throughout the year, approximately 20 select lullabies from various New York City sites are professionally recorded by musicians and parents.

Select lullabies are also performed live each year as part of the Lullaby Project's Celebration Concert. On Friday, June 10 at 5:00 p.m., parents, musicians, and community partners will celebrate original songs created as part of the project. The concert will be available for audiences to livestream on Carnegie Hall's Facebook and YouTube channel.

Extending across the country and through international programs, the Lullaby Project enables nearly 50 partner organizations (26 across the US and 22 abroad) to support hundreds of families in their own communities. Partners support the creation of new lullabies in a variety of models, adapting the program to best meet the needs of their community and families. Click here for a current list of Lullaby Project partners across the US, ranging from Washington and Texas to Pennsylvania and Vermont, as well as international partners in Canada, Europe, South America, the Middle East, and Oceania. The annual Lullaby Project international convening took place earlier this season on January 13-14, providing professional development sessions for new and prospective partners led by expert teaching artists, consultants, and researchers.

Since the start of the pandemic, Lullaby Project professional artists have been connecting directly with families across the United States to write personal lullabies in free, one-on-one online sessions, which parents and caregivers have been able to sign up for on Carnegie Hall's website.

In 2018, Decca Gold (Universal Music Group) released, Hopes & Dreams: The Lullaby Project, an album that features original lullabies written by workshop participants and performed by major artists, including Fiona Apple, the Brentano String Quartet, Lawrence Brownlee, Rosanne Cash, Joyce DiDonato, Janice Freeman, Rhiannon Giddens, Angélique Kidjo, Patti LuPone, Natalie Merchant, Dianne Reeves, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Pretty Yende, and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The recording was produced by Glen Roven, Ira Yuspeh, and Mitch Yuspeh. Proceeds from the album benefit the original songwriters and support the Lullaby Project.

Big Note, Little Note, a 10-week music class for New York City families, offers a range of experiences for families and caregivers to engage with their babies through musical play, singing, instrument exploration, and more. The program, offered at no cost, is centered around community, and supports family well-being, early childhood development, and parent-child connection. Big Note, Little Note piloted in the Hall's 2020-2021 season and has since offered three workshop rounds each season.

The next set of classes for caregivers and infants begins in mid-March, in partnership with Harlem Children's Zone. A selection of short videos and an accompanying "Music Moments" activities series is available for parents everywhere on the Big Note, Little Note webpage, each dedicated to a specific early childhood topic such as movement, brain building, language, play, soothing exercises, rhythm, and more. Additionally, a playlist with original songs inspired by the themes of the class is available on SoundCloud.

Over the past two years, Carnegie Hall has significantly expanded its free digital offerings for families, collated in a family resource page, which is filled with fun activities that promote musical learning and play with children. Favorite activities include a video for parents on singing a simple lullaby; an animated video series featuring music from Camille's Rainbow, a new early childhood performance for babies; tips on writing and singing your own lullaby; a playlist featuring a collection of Lullaby Project favorite songs for singing with your baby; interactive games; and coloring books that help children learn about musical instruments and icons, such as Duke Ellington.

For the full list of WMI family resources, please visit: carnegiehall.org/FamilyResources.