Artist Profile: The Lullaby Project
The Lullaby Project uses the creative process of songwriting to help new and expectant parents express their hopes and dreams for the future through music. The project pairs local singer-songwriters, mothers and mothers-to-be to create personal lullabies for their children, supporting maternal health, aiding child development and strengthening the bond between parent and child. Around the world, the project reaches parents in healthcare settings, homeless shelters, high schools, foster care and correctional facilities.
Overture Center is pleased to be one of 40 organizations across the country and the world to partner with the Lullaby Project, a program of Carnegie Hall Weill Music Institute.
1) How has The Lullaby Project impacted you on a professional and personal level?
“The Lullaby Project has provided an invaluable opportunity for me to use and grow my musical skills and abilities while providing a real, tangible service. As a performer, you are often involved in projects that are—quite frankly—very self-serving and fleeting. It’s been a joy to collaborate with new and expecting mothers and provide them with the resources they need to tap into music as a means to express their hopes, dreams, and their love in ways that words alone so often seem to fall slightly short.” —Rebecca Redmann
“I had often dreamed about combining my experiences in education, coaching/teaching both students and adults, with my passion for music and songwriting, so the Lullaby Project role has been a real gift to me. When I began working with the project in the summer of 2019, it was my first professional, music-related job. I was quite nervous about starting! Three years later, I continue to be inspired by the parents we co-write with, as well as by the amazing teaching artists involved in the project. The project has compelled me to make some shifts in my own professional trajectory, and the joy that comes from a co-writing session certainly carries over into my personal life as well!” —Laura Lang
“As someone who works on a variety of artistic and creative projects, the Lullaby Project offers a very unique opportunity to explore and create music on an incredibly personal level. In a lot of my other projects, the music and performance being created is built for an audience. It’s meant to be shared, or heard, or paid for. While those projects are fulfilling in their own right, the Lullaby Project removes almost all the pressures of public consumption, because the music is meant only for the participating families. It creates a sort of bubble around the songwriting teams, allowing us to connect with the parents, listen to their stories, hear their hopes and dreams for their children, and together, compose a song that’s deeply personal to them, free of any fear of outside critique or opinion. It’s music-making without the “baggage” (for lack of a better term).” —Sam Taylor
“When Covid started I found my songwriting productivity was significantly reduced. From writing with other professionals around the country several times a week to writing with close friends a couple of times a month. I was excited to begin work with the Lullaby Project as it would provide an outlet to write more frequently, with new partners, and in a genre I was not able to explore often.” —Eric Hester
2) What are creative goals you have for this year?
“I've organized my goals into short, medium, and long term. So, my short-term goal is to compose/produce music for a short film, advertisement, or public service announcement. My medium and long goals are broadly continuing to compose music for media; film, television, and theater.” —Autumn Maria Reed
“To play and write music that isn't just the same few chords over and over again. I tend to find myself getting into a musical rut sometimes where everything I write stems from the same few chords, so I'm really trying to break out of that and try new chord patterns and progressions.” —Henry Alanna
“One creative goal I have is to continue learning more about audio engineering and mixing/mastering, elaborating on some skills I’ve explored over the past few years. Regardless of what I’m working on, it seems that there is always some element of recording or general work done within a Digital Audio Workstation. Especially having worked on some remote music-making and theater projects, having a general knowledge on recording software has been a huge asset.” —Sam Taylor
“This year I’m hard at work honing aspects of recording, and I hope to craft a small, personal, in-home studio to make higher quality recordings for both the Lullaby Project and other projects I’m navigating.” —Rebecca Redmann
“There are two: Create more protected time and space for songwriting and collaborating with other musicians. This requires giving up some non-music professional obligations that I've had for many years. And the second is piggybacks off the release of my first professionally-recorded EP of original songs in January of 2021. I'm now working on material for a full-length album and hope to be ready to get into a recording studio by late summer or early fall.” —Laura Lang
3) Which resources have been particularly useful in expanding your musical career or securing paid gigs?
“For me, I've found that some of the best resources for expanding my musical career has been libraries. Libraries are a wonderful place to perform music, and it often involves a wide range of audiences. I love performing at libraries, because it means I get to sing for kids and grownups, I get to sing my music in its most authentic form, and the audiences are always incredibly welcoming. I'd also say that one of the best ways I've found to get my music out there has been using DistroKid. It's a website that allows you to upload your finished recordings and deliver them to all the major platforms. There are several sites like this, but DistroKid is the one I've found to be the most artist friendly.” —Henry Alanna
“Controversial or not, social media has been the best outlet for my musical career. Although I wish that I had more paid gigs, I still meet people who share my interests. When the pandemic began and lockdowns were in place, I fought isolation by connecting with people in Facebook groups and YouTubers. Eventually, we would chat via Zoom, Google Meet, and good old-fashioned phone calls! Growing up, I had been reclusive. The pandemic made me re-evaluate how I interact with people. It's important to connect with people—although "peopling" is difficult! So, when public spaces open, I forced myself to interact.” —Autumn Maria Reed
“I've learned that the best resources are usually people. Making genuine, collaborative connections with others often gives rise to opportunities that I couldn't anticipate. Beth Kille and Jenna Joanis are two amazing humans, incredibly talented musicians and highly respected music educators who continue to help me explore new possibilities and improve my own skills.” —Laura Lang
4) Who are 2-3 musicians you think should be on more people's radars?
“I am a big fan of The Michigan Rattlers, Madison Cunningham, and Adeem the Artist. If you don’t know them it might be worth your while to give them a listen.” —Eric Hester
“There are so many local Madison-area musicians who are brilliant artists and warm, supportive collaborators. I'm going to give a shout out to my Lullaby Project colleagues who are also featured here: Each one is a talented, unique artist who is also gifted at helping draw out and nurture our participants' creative sparks.” —Laura Lang
“One artist that I have been absolutely loving since discovering them in the last year is 'The Magic Lantern' (monicker for British- Australian singer-songwriter Jamie Doe), particularly his album A Reckoning Bell. He has an incredible way of exploring complex ideas like grief, love, and joy, in simple and beautiful ways. His songs sort of serve as meditations for me. Not to mention the beautiful orchestrations and arrangements. I love a stack of bass clarinets and a trombone choir!” —Sam Taylor
“Other than the ridiculously talented group of Teaching Artists that I’m privileged to collaborate with—all of whom absolutely deserve to be heard by more people!—I think that Melanie Cain of Maven Vocal Arts and Fresco Opera is working magic with local singers in truly fresh and exciting ways. If her Garage Opera performances make a comeback post-COVID, more neighborhoods should take note and grab a seat in the driveway for some magnificent singing and acting from excellent musicians many of whom who live and work right in our backyard.” —Rebecca Redmann
“Two I really think should be on people's radar are Julia Fortman (if you like Sara Bareilles, you'll LOVE her) and Caro Granner (she doesn't have much in the way of released music, but if you go to her soundcloud page you'll find a wide array of just the best musical stylings). I'd also highly recommend Glen Hansard to anyone who hasn't heard of him. He's on the more popular side, but if you haven't had the chance to listen to his folk punk stylings, you are missing out!” —Henry Alanna
“Locally and currently, I have five: music director/violist/clarinetist Dayvin Hallmon, music educator/violinist/keyboardist Alida LaCosse, singer/guitarist Frank Laufenberg, saxophonist/flutist Daniel Haschke, and singer/pianist Bill Anderson. However, I know that I could add more! It's almost unfair to narrow it down because everyone has their own gifts. —Autumn Maria Reed
BIOS:
Henry Alanna is best described as somewhere between an eclectic folk-punk goblin and a heartbroken, soft-spoken beetle. They enjoy creating music to find joy in the tragic and hurt in the beautiful. If you enjoy music that speaks to internal truths and quiet revelations, you've come to the right place. Stay a while, have a coffee, and soothe the ache that's been sitting in your heart. You're safe here.
Eric Hester is a Madison-based singer songwriter. Raised in a musical family he was signed to his first record conract at 15. He spent the next several years touring around North America. After a very brief stint with Warner Brothers, Eric has spent the last 35 years writing songs and running a small record label / artist management firm working with artists across the United States.
Laura Lang is the lead teaching artist for Overture's Lullaby Project; in this role, she co-writes with participants, supports our fabulous teaching artists and coordinates with our partner organizations. Laura has been playing piano, guitar and singing since she was a kid. And her high school music teacher encouraged her to write her first song many years ago. In addition to her work with Lullaby Project, Laura continues to work as an external instructional coach for K-12 middle and high schools; she is also a former high school English teacher and Reading Specialist, with a Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction from UW-Madison.
Rebecca Redmann is a singer/songwriter based out of Madison. She grew up in Little Chute, WI as part of a large extended family of musicians and performers, and studied Vocal Performance at Lawrence University Conservatory in Appleton, WI and the University of Akron, in Ohio. In addition to her work with the Lullaby Project, Redmann is also the Director of Worship and Music at St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in Monona. She is passionate about supporting live music to accompany all of life’s occasions while consulting and performing regularly as a freelance artist for weddings, funerals and other important milestones.
Autumn Maria Reed is a Wisconsin-based composer and Berklee alumna. Autumn has composed library and theatrical music for companies in Madison and Milwaukee. Her music is available to stream under the name AMReed8. In 2022, she debuted with two pieces —a symphonic work "Exodus From Extinction" for Black Diaspora Symphony Orchestra and a string quartet "Yankadi” at LunART Festival. She plays the string bass with Dayvin Hallmon's The Black String Triage Ensemble. This group performs string music for trauma and violence victims. She advocates ending the stigma of mental illness. She also values spending time with her family
Sam Taylor is a Madison-based musician who often can be found working with Children’s Theater of Madison as an actor, music director, and teaching artist for summer education programs. He’s currently producing a podcast with Four Seasons Theatre and former UW-Madison band director Mike Leckrone called Listening with Leckrone. Sam joined Overture Center’s Lullaby Project in 2021, having previously helped develop a similar program in Appleton. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Music & Psychology from Lawrence University.