Press roundup - Lullabies

In 2010, Vital Arts launched a singing project on maternity wards in collaboration with Spitalfields musicians. The initiative aimed to strengthen the bond between parents and their newborns, while offering a positive and calming distraction from the often stressful hospital environment.

Here’s a summary of the press coverage for the project:

BBC

The Telegraph

ITV London News

East London Advertiser

Parents bond with newborns over music in new scheme

Written by Jamie Mason

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

A PIONEERING musical project to help parents bond with their newborn babies has started at an East End hospital.

The scheme, at The Royal London in Whitechapel is designed to encourage new parents to play music to their baby as medical research shows this can strengthen the ties between parent and child and can even help with sleep and feeding patterns.

Christine Wood, baby-friendly co-ordinator at the hospital, said: “Many new mothers lack confidence when it comes to soothing and calming their own baby, so helping them to realise thay can do so by singing is a real morale booster.”

In the hours following birth, mums are visited by musicians, who compose a unique, personal lullaby for their new arrival.

Each family is then given a CD and songbook to continue the lullabies at home.

The pilot scheme is now being extended to infants up to the age of three who are being treated for long-term conditions at The Royal London Children’s Hospital.