It’s the year 2020. As a new mother, you sit in the rocking chair holding your crying infant wishing, hoping, praying, that he will fall asleep before you join in on the tears. You do all you can to rock your inconsolable baby to sleep, but nothing seems to comfort him. The sound machine, recorded melodies of the mobile, and YouTube playlists have all failed you this evening. In a last-ditch effort, you start singing, with a quavering voice, a lullaby that your mother sang to you as a child. Your little one’s attention turns to the sound of your voice as the crying quiets down and he finally gives in to sleep. A sense of calm washes over you as you finish the sweet song that saved both you and your baby from continued distress. Merriam-Webster defines a lullaby as, “A song to quiet children or lull them to sleep”.
Countless recorded lullabies can be found on the internet and online music services, and most people can name and/or sing at least one. From generation to generation mothers and caregivers have been singing to their babies as, what may seem like, an instinctual habit. Although many people know a lullaby when they hear one, what makes a song a lullaby? How does one choose which songs are meant to be sung for putting baby to sleep? Historically, lullabies have been classified as such for different reasons. Some classify songs based on the “lexical content” while others classify them based on “social usage” (Hawes, 1974, p. 141). Simply put, some think lullabies are any songs that have lyrics about sleep, while others believe any song used for putting the baby to sleep is a lullaby. For the purpose of this discussion, the functional definition of a lullaby will be adhered to. Therefore, any song culturally used to calm a baby to sleep will be considered a lullaby regardless of whether or not it mentions sleep in the lyrics.
With the ease and convenience of 21st century technology, it is important to understand why real-time, sung lullabies are a better choice than pre-recorded lullabies. The act of lullaby singing is an experience for both the singer and the infant audience. Infants do not have the opportunity to interact with and alter the performance of a pre-recorded lullaby which makes the live performance more valuable. Pre-recorded lullabies are also trumped by live performances because infants prefer them. Researchers have studied the musical preferences of infants in terms of what is called infant-directed versus infant-absent singing (Trainor, 1996). Infant-directed singing occurs when a song is sung to an infant. In a 1996 study, Trainor used infant attention to measure preferences between the two types of singing. The researchers concluded that “infants preferred the infant-directed version of two of the three lullaby pairs” (p. 88).
The implications of infant preferences for infant-directed singing are profound when examining lullaby practices. Parents singing to their children instills a higher level of emotional performance and holds infant attention longer than a recording that was not originally performed to an infant. A lullaby sung directly to a baby has heightened soothing qualities and therefore can be considered more effective at calming baby than a recording or electronic sound source. The emotional connection and bonding experienced through singing rituals are important reasons why parents should be singing lullabies to their children. Even if they feel like inadequate musicians, or are untrained, both parents and children can benefit from the singing. The importance of the human connection at this early age cannot be achieved through the use of technology substitutes.
When a mother sings a lullaby to her baby everyone benefits. The mother does not have to be highly musically trained to engage in a meaningful musical experience with her child. For the mother/caregiver, singing lullabies brings a sense of bonding and closeness with the infant in addition to providing a coping mechanism for the stress and anxiety often felt by new mothers. Through listening to the mother’s voice an infant reaps a variety of developmental, social-emotional, and musical benefits. What one may see as the simple act of trying to calm a baby down for bed is actually an outstanding way to care for the child and prepare him or her for a well-adjusted and meaningful life.
Folk lullabies have inherently withstood the test of time. They have been passed down through oral tradition for generations, and therefore have greater historical aesthetic value than composed lullabies. Unfortunately, folk lullabies are becoming a tradition of the past. Today’s parents are choosing technology to calm and soothe their infants more often than they are singing to them. A lack of musical training and comfort with singing has led many parents to shy away from that early musical interaction with their children. With the newly acquired understanding of the importance of taking the time to sing lullabies to infants, parents should take the initiative to step out of their comfort zone and sing.
Call to Action
The Lullaby Source (https://www.thelullabysource.com/) was created to provide accessible resources to parents to learn folk lullabies for use with their children. Music educators must expand their reach through newsletters and informances, to aid parents in learning lullabies to sing and promote a strong sense of secure attachment, social-emotional skill, and musical foundation for cultivation in today’s children. Sister Lorna Zemke (1989) made the point very clear, “We’re hoping most of all to enhance the quality of life for the child, for the parents, and for anyone with whom the child will interact…. We’re hoping that the child will feel accepted, will feel loved, and will feel a part of the family unit” (p.13).
Read the Full capstone research paper.
References
Hawes, B. L. (1974). Folksongs and function: Some thoughts on the American lullaby. The Journal of American Folklore, 87(344), 140-148. doi:10.2307/539474
Lullaby. (2020). In Merriam-Webster online.
Trainor, L. J. (1996). Infant preferences for infant-directed versus noninfant-directed playsongs and lullabies. Infant Behavior and Development, 19(1), 83-92.
Zemke, L. (1989). Lovenotes: Music for the unborn child. Silver Lake College Publications.
Emily Doles teaches General Music and Choir in Pleasant Hill, Ohio. Her work with lullabies was part of her recent capstone project for the Masters in Music Education at Silver Lake College.