A Highland arts organisation has partnered with Carnegie Hall once again to run its second instalment of Tàlaidhean Ura: The Lullaby Project, a music and well-being initiative aimed at mothers and carers of babies and toddlers across Ross-Shire and Inverness.
Tàlaidhean Ura: The Lullaby Project, in collaboration with New York’s prestigious Carnegie Hall’s Weill Institute and funded by Youth Music Initiative for this second phase, is a heart-warming project which encourages local women who are pregnant or caring for babies and toddlers to explore song-writing and come up with their own lullabies with support from professional local musicians during a series of free workshops. The first of these Highland sessions will start next month (June) at Merkinch Community Centre in Inverness with further sessions taking place in Alness and Tain later in the summer.
The Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute pioneered the concept of The Lullaby Project in New York, pairing pregnant women and new mothers and fathers with professional artists to write and sing personal lullabies for their babies, supporting maternal health, aiding childhood development, and strengthening the bond between parent and child. Extending around the world, the Lullaby Project now enables partner organisations to support families in their own communities.
Fèis Rois first ran the project in 2020 and had an incredible year working in-person pre-pandemic and then online to deliver four projects in Alness, Dingwall, Gairloch and Inverness. The results of these sessions were 22 new lullabies in Gaelic, English, Arabic and Portuguese and some of these beautiful lullabies can be listened to here. One of the lullabies, Bà Bà written by Kathelle Macleod for her son, Robert, was featured as part of Carnegie Hall’s annual Lullaby Project celebration concert in 2021, amongst other wonderful lullabies from around the globe. The first run of the project also provided work for 9 local freelance musicians.
Teya-Jean Bawden, Community Engagement Officer, Fèis Rois, commented: “Some of the earliest sounds of our childhood have a profound impact on the rest of our lives. This project allows new mums to work with professional musicians to create new lullabies for their wee ones. No previous musical experience is necessary to attend the weekly sessions. The first sessions will be about getting to know one another through craft, play and music, before creating new lullabies with the help of our experienced musicians. You will also take home lots of practical activities to enjoy with your baby.
“Our first Lullaby Project was such a powerful and moving thing to be part of. Through online sessions and sessions in real life before the pandemic, women came together to create beautiful music. We are so delighted to have been granted funding from YMI to deliver a second project. We’re looking forward to working with folk in real life once again. The participants will have access to a free creche, which we hope will help them to have a wee break, and be able to get creative. It’s going to be great fun.”
The Inverness sessions will be held at Merkinch Community Centre on Mondays from 10am – 12pm from June to October. These sessions are open to mothers with children aged 0-3 and the arts organisation is particularly interested to hear from mums who are under 25. The Tain sessions will pay particular attention to introducing Gaelic language to your family however you do not need to be a fluent Gaelic speaker to participate – Fèis Roisencourages those who don’t have Gaelic but who are interested in exploring Gaelic Medium Education for their children.
Bookings are being taken now for courses starting in Inverness in June and Alness and Tain in August. For more information about the Lullaby Project, please visit www.feisrois.org or contact Teya-Jean, tj.bawden@feisrois.org.
Follow these topics: News, Newsletter