The Colorado Lullaby Project

At least 60 families, so far, aren’t stuck in an endless “Rock-a-Bye Baby” loop when soothing their newborns. The Colorado Lullaby Project, a pilot program at CU Boulder that’s part of a nationwide network, pairs parents or guardians with music students who help create custom songs to sing instead.

The new lullabies—which aren’t always slow, calming bedtime tunes, despite the name—incorporate personal details like the child’s name, favorite toy and cultural influences. They’re meant to help forge a strong bond between parent and child, and to foster early childhood development.

Grace Law, a graduate assistant and the program’s director, says she and the other participating music students are happy to be able to use their skills in a way that serves the community. “Our plans are to really hone in on how we’re doing it here and be able to spread it to other universities to reach more families.”