Lullaby Diaries (Final Part)

In February 2010 Vital Arts and Spitalfields Music worked together to bring live music to families and new born babies on the maternity ward at the Royal London Hospital.  The musicians performed and taught a selection of lullabies from around the world. With the help of willing families they also wrote simple songs in Arabic, Bengali, Somali and English.

The following are excerpts from the diary that was kept during our visits:

The artists are in their stride! Christine was very keen on us going into Transitional Care again as she can see that this is the room with the most need for an escape from the hospital routines. The atmosphere was calm and very quiet but there was lots of interaction and engagement. The artists responded well to what was happening in the room, noticing restless babies and when dads picked them up, encouraged the group to keep the song going longer so they would have chance to bond. One member of staff said, “You are going to have to keep coming. They love it. The parents are so worried in this room and so good for them to have a break”

Our third and last room for the project was a bright and happy room. Everyone was very engaged and all the curtains were already open. One father picked up his baby to join in with the singing and his  family asked lots of questions about what the instrument was, where the songs were from and joined in (with harmony) to most songs. They recognised one of songs as Congolese and were happy to join in. After saying, “He’s smiling and sleeping now” another mother sang a Russian lullaby to the room (it was very difficult so we didn’t get very far) which was so lovely to hear! It was as though acknowledging both families language and backgrounds created a level playing field for the singing to take place. One of the fathers said, “It’s empowering to have recognition of your homeland”.

With the project now finished we all feel incredibly privileged and moved to have been allowed to meet these families at such a wonderful time.

Below are some thoughts from the artists about their work on this project:

Zoe Singing and composing lullabies on the Neonatal Ward at The Royal London Hospital has been a fun, life affirming and moving experience for me.  I felt privileged to meet so many babies taking their first breaths in the world, and testing out their powerful lungs! The input from so many families really made the music come alive and I hope you’ll use the CD as a celebration and reminder of all the songs, stories and interactions we shared during that special time.

John In the days after a baby is born everything is heightened and magical – the world suddenly seems different. It was a privilege to be playing music for, and writing songs with, families at this special time. As someone who hasn’t spent much time in post-natal wards (!), I was pretty nervous about this project and how it would be received. I shouldn’t have worried – in fact music has never seemed so appropriate. I particularly enjoyed singing with the new dads and creating the hilarious somali/bengali/russian bathtime song in on a busy, happy Friday afternoon…

Sonia Being part of this project was an incredible experience of bringing music through Global lullabies to a space of nurturing and future bonding between mothers and their newborn babies. It highlighted the importance of how sound can change a space and provide a tool for mother/families, as well as giving space to medical practitioners to reap the benefits of music as something to add to their everyday practice on the wards. As a music practitioner, the experience was especially wonderful, as it added another dimension to the work we create, making it a rewardingly meaningful experience.

Tamsin Oldham
Programme Manager: Learning & Participation

The Lullaby Diaries (Part 3)

In February 2010 Vital Arts and Spitalfields Music worked together to bring live music to families and new born babies on the maternity ward at the Royal London Hospital.  The musicians performed and taught a selection of lullabies from around the world. With the help of willing families they also wrote simple songs in Arabic, Bengali, Somali and English.

The following are the second lot of excerpts from the diary that was kept during our visits:

Session 3

Today the artists are relaxed and feel very much a part of the ward as they have allowed the sessions to be ‘organic’ and responsive to the needs of the room. There hasn’t been a stipulated formula for the sessions which has created an openness and fluidity to the project.

The first room of the day was very welcoming and relaxed. There was good conversation with the families and a performance of what has been created in other sessions with the mothers smiling and joining in with singing

Room two was quiet…apart from some crying, but this stopped quite soon with the start of singing. I noticed that having the curtains open while we were in the room aided communication between families and everyone was noticing people they had met before. I know this is something the ward are keen to encourage so hope we contributing to this shift in behaviour! There was a little uncertainty from one mother,  ‘it wouldn’t sound the same if I sung it’ so I encouraged Zoe to talk about her experiences  of how a mother’s voice is the most beautiful thing to a baby. This seemed to do the trick as she beamed from ear to ear.

The third room was very unsettled today but after a few soothing songs the families had warmed and were ready to write their own lullaby.  One wanted to use the words, “My darling baby. My heart” in the song. Another mother piped up and sang a whole song from Somalia to Zoe. The atmosphere on leaving the room was very warm…

We are very reliant on the nursing staff, especially Christine who greets us so warmly and enthusiastically each session. She actively walks into each room and opens the curtains, tells families who we are and spreads the word through the staff!

Tamsin Oldham
Programme Manager: Learning & Participation

Keep your eyes peeled over the next few weeks for the final part of Tamsin’s Lullaby Diaries.

The Lullaby Diaries (Part 2)

In February 2010 Vital Arts and Spitalfields Music worked together to bring live music to families and new born babies on the maternity ward at the Royal London Hospital.  The musicians performed and taught a selection of lullabies from around the world. With the help of willing families they also wrote simple songs in Arabic, Bengali, Somali and English.

The following are the second lot of excerpts from the diary that was kept during our visits:

Session 2

Everyone is much more relaxed today and there is a wonderful welcome from staff following Wednesday’s session.

On arrival we received some feedback:  One of the babies, from transitional care was having trouble feeding and that evening, following our first session, he was well enough to go home. The Baby Care Specialist,  believed this to be directly linked to the singing.

At the start of the session there seemed to be less participation with many of the curtains closed. We found out later that this was due to mothers sleeping or feeding their babies in privacy. Something we are fast learning about working in hospital is being flexible and taking each session as it comes. However, the fathers were very engaged with their feet tapping and babes in arms. A baby started crying but stopped quickly as we started a lullaby– was it the music?

On the way to the second room we met a father from a Russian family in the first session who shook John’s hand and said how much he had loved the music and looked forward to seeing us again. This was such a lovely way to go into our next session and filled the artists full of pride!

The Lullaby Diaries (Part 1)

In February 2010 Vital Arts and Spitalfields Music worked together to bring live music to families and new born babies on the maternity ward at the Royal London Hospital.  The musicians performed and taught a selection of lullabies from around the world. With the help of willing families they also wrote simple songs in Arabic, Bengali, Somali and English.

The following are excerpts from the diary that was kept during our visits:

Session 1

For our first session everyone was a bit unsure about what to expect and how to act. The first room we went into was Transitional Care where some babies and some mothers had been through a particularly difficult labour. The atmosphere was very thick and incredibly quiet! It was difficult at first to know how to use the space with the instruments, where to place ourselves so that we could see everyone in the room? And how loud could we be? Our artists Zoe Palmer, John Barber and Sonia Mehta began with singing a lullaby then took a baby’s name to improvise a song. It was a good way to include and integrate but harder for those whose names have not yet been chosen…. There was some shyness around using their voices or perhaps just exhaustion. They were enjoying listening to the music said how it gave them a break from thinking!