Since 2019, a group of Vermont organizations has offered parents dealing with domestic violence, addiction or incarceration a novel approach to finding healing: composing lullabies for their children.
"The lights of my life, you helped me to be better," a Vermont mom named Sydney wrote in a song titled "A Mother's Love." "I know right now is hard, but our future will be brighter. This is not our forever."
She penned the song as part of the Lullaby Project, a program that began in 2011 at Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute in New York City and has since spread around the globe. Scrag Mountain Music, a Marshfield arts organization that performs chamber music and offers music education programs, brought the project to Vermont. Musicians from Scrag Mountain and leaders from Writers for Recovery, an organization that offers writing workshops for those struggling with addiction, pair up with parents who have experienced traumatic life events to write original songs for their children.
Now, the public can hear Scrag Mountain musicians perform these one-of-a-kind lullabies in concert on Saturday, September 28, at the Highland Center for the Arts in Greensboro. An accompanying art exhibition runs from Wednesday, September 25, to Sunday, October 6.
The authors of the lullabies include men and women served by the Vermont Network, a nonprofit fighting domestic and sexual violence; the Kids-A-Part program of Burlington's Lund family center, which aims to minimize the trauma experienced by children whose parents are in prison; Outright Vermont, which supports LGBTQ+ youth; and women at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility.
Past lullabies have ranged in subject and tone from an upbeat tune about remembering family beach trips to an introspective song about the miracle of childbirth.
For parents who find themselves separated from their children, the experience of writing a lullaby can be particularly empowering, according to Amy Torchia, director of the Vermont Network's Healing Together Project, which offers arts programming to families experiencing domestic violence. Research shows that lullabies can have therapeutic benefits, providing calming effects and strengthening the bond between parent and child.
"I'm a great believer in the healing power of art and music," Torchia said. "The [incarcerated] women in the facility, they want to just keep writing. They're writing and writing and writing, even when they're done with their song."
While a lullaby typically might be thought of as a soothing tune that lulls a child to sleep, Evan Premo defines the genre more broadly. The founder and co-artistic director of Scrag Mountain describes a lullaby as a supportive song created for another person. While most participants write to their children, some opt for songs intended for another person or a younger version of themselves.
To spark inspiration, leaders from Writers for Recovery guide parents through writing prompts, completing sentences such as "When we're together..." and "You come from..." Participants choose and sing the most compelling phrases from their writing. A musician then translates the vocal harmony into a musical score.
For many of the mothers and fathers, Premo explained, the leap from written words to music can be a difficult transition. Asking people to use their singing voice, he said, adds an extra layer of vulnerability.
"The process often starts with a fair amount of skepticism about people's abilities to create a song. People come in saying things like, 'Oh, I'm not a musician. I could never write music,'" Premo said. "Our job is to help each person break through that barrier."
Parents leave with an audio recording of their lullaby and a written version of the musical composition. Many have the chance to hear their original song performed live at an annual concert by Scrag Mountain. The upcoming show will be the third Lullaby Project concert in Vermont, featuring roughly 20 songs written by Vermonters this year.
The related art show offers audio recordings of the songs alongside photos and videos of the creation process. Other displays include bird sculptures and painted rocks created as part of the Healing Together Project.
Some of the lullabies could eventually appear on a national stage: In June 2023, musicians at Carnegie Hall performed a song by a Vermonter named Ellen. It was about her dream of reuniting with her granddaughter.
"When we're together, we'll make snow angels. You'll be running around trying to catch the snowflakes," Ellen wrote in "When We're Together."
Many of the lullabies deal with that theme, the longing to be together.
"You're the only one who's heard my heart from the inside," a Vermonter named Emily wrote in a song titled "You're the Only One." "No matter how far apart we may be, I'll always be your mama."