At Lullabying for Everyone we are fascinated by how people help others through singing to them, as with lullabies, and telling them stories, as with bedtime stories.
Lullabies and bedtime stories are designed to be soothing, comforting, and calming. They help people feel safe and secure.
We offer workshops and private sessions to help people who want to lullaby other people more, but feel stuck.
We base our work on the research and teachings of Dr. John Diamond. He was a psychiatrist and holistic philosopher who has given many lectures and written many poems, articles, and books that help people to heal. Two of his best are The Re-Mothering Experience and Music and Song, Mother and Love.
This site shares songs that are good to use for lullabying. As part of that, we recommend folk songs and popular songs. We have particular expertise in the American popular songs of the first half of the twentieth century. These were often written for what was called the Tin Pan Alley music publishing industry, which specialized in songs for the home.
We collect information about lullabying and storytime. Popular articles are a good source of inspiration. Academic, scholarly articles can also help, but are often difficult to read all the way through. Therefore, in our blogs and videos, we tell you in plain language the important points that come out of the work of serious researchers.
We also link up with the Arts in Daily Life Project to share interviews with people as they talk about the wide range of experiences they have with singing and storytelling to sooth. Their website is linked here.
This website and its materials were developed with the support of the Reach Out Arts not-for-profit organization (linked here). A donation to them is appreciated (the donation page is linked here).
The image above is from the movie Now, Voyager (1942). Charlotte (Bette Davis) comforts Tina (Janis Wilson) by telling her a story, which lulls the distraught child into a peaceful sleep.
This website is created and run by Michael G. Garber, PhD, who is a diplomate of the Institute of Music and Health, founded by psychiatrist-philosopher Dr. John Diamond.