The fourth trimester is a hot topic at the moment and i've spoken before about how I feel it is good to get out and about - when you feel the time is right! So when I had the chance to chat with Rosie who runs Mama Sings, I was more than happy to share the good work she is doing. Rosie puts a big spin on your usual baby music sessions, as they are just as much for the parents as the babies!
Rosie is a singer, songwriter and early years music practitioner who has been developing new music for young children for the past 3 years, and who loves to lead creative projects with both parents and their babies!
Rosie also has 9 FREE lullabies to download that you can play to your baby in the 3rd and 4th Trimester! If like us, you have watched the Cinderella movie with Lilly James about 1000's times, you will be happy to hear Rosie has a lovely version of 'Lavenders blue' ( ....dilly dilly!!!!!).
Below is a Q&A with Rosie so you can find out more about Mama Sings!...
What is the idea behind Mama Sings and what inspired you to launch it ?
I had Otis in 2016, and about a year later, decided to get my act together and bring together the various strands of my work and life, to create Mama Sings. Whilst I've been leading different music projects for years, including for little ones, a penny dropped when I had Otis. The desire to sing to him and with him was STRONG (and still is), and I realised that it's common to lots of new parents - singing suddenly becomes something you're doing every minute of the day, whether it be twinkle twinkle or making up a nonsense song to try and get your wriggly baby to stay on the changing mat. I also felt a bit stumped at times when looking for something nice to play to him, and though I'm a musician, felt a bit confused by the huge amount of 'stuff' out there on Spotify and Youtube but the quality was mostly pretty horrendous. I wanted to try and bring something fresh to the table that was as much about the parent, as the child.
What is it that makes Mama Sings different from other nursery rhyme sing song sessions!? What's in it for the parents, do they enjoy it too?
Such a great question!! When I lead sessions and projects, I definitely sometimes sing nursery rhymes, but I so also believe that the parent is so often overlooked... My whole vision is that parents understand the power in their own voices and sing more with their kids (being a 'good' singer really doesn't come into it!) - as this is such a powerful thing; a great tool to add into the mix of parenting a baby/toddler, and a lot of fun for everyone. So engaging parents in the sessions is something I always try to do! I tend to introduce songs that are a bit different - repetitive but a satisfying sing, with harmonies that build for example...sometimes songs in other languages. And also I introduce songs that I've written, that aren't your standard kinds of nursery rhymes...
Can you tell me more about the benefits of singing to your baby? And do you think babies really do respond to singing before they are even born?
Ooo where do I start... babies start to hear sounds at around 24 weeks. As the mother's voice is the most consistent sound to them, we know that they recognise it, it's comforting and equates to love, comfort and protection - and they definitely do hear our voices in utero, as newborn babies show a preference for their mother's voice. We sing lullabies to our new babies the world over, and have done for millennia. It's a universal language, and we subconsciously match the early preferences of our babies through our vocalisations... not surprisingly then, it helps foster bonding and secure attachments, especially in mothers suffering with postnatal depression and anxiety, where a study last year showed a much quicker rate of recovery in those mothers that did regular singing with their babies. It's all clever stuff!! With a slightly older toddler / child, a song regularly gets me out of a sticky situation!! I think singing can be a really lovely part of the birth preparation process, with lots of parallels to hypnobirthing - and can really help you bond with your baby in utero.
Helping to make toddlers , babies and their parents smile sounds like the cutest job in the world, what do you love most about it?
I do love what I do, and am even more passionate about it as time goes on - and going through the whole experience of pregnancy, birth, fourth trimester as well as being a parent now to an active toddler reinforces how singing can really be an antidote to stress! I've also been leading a big project this year which is all about songwriting with parents, which has been lots of fun and really satisfying, to create new songs for people to sing and use at home. I think the most satisfying bit of my work is more when I know that what I've done in one moment, has inspired a parent or child outside of the project, that they're singing a new song, or making up silly ones of their own!
Can you tell us more about your community music projects?
I've been leading music projects for other fab organisations that work with children and young people for 10 years or more, but have recently really zoomed in on early years. I've led projects for Breathe Arts Health Research recently who are amazing and run a singing project for mothers suffering from post-natal depression. I've also been doing a lot of songwriting with parents of under 2's - which is a project of my own design called 'London Rhymes' with Creative Futures which is really important to me. The BEST songs come out of these sessions, when it's a collaboration with other musicians and with other parents - and it's sooo much fun. I believe that parents are naturally pretty creative, we have to be with some of the situations we find ourselves in!! We all have a unique experience of parenthood, but there are definitely some universals... I'm passionate about the role that singing can play in the everyday, and not just in the 'music class'.
For more info about Rosies work check out mamasings.com
