One of the most powerful types of music, especially for children, is the lullaby. They are a wonderful way to soothe children to sleep, but their physical and emotional benefits extend beyond that – they comfort and heal us, well into adulthood too.
Every culture has its own lullabies, but they all follow some structural similarities. They have a simple tune that is repeated over and over again, soothing the child to sleep. They have slow, steady rhythms and when the parent follows these rhythms with a soft rocking motion, the child is further soothed to sleep. Remember, you don’t need to have the best trained voice for your child to enjoy your lullabies. It is your voice that they seek.
As part of our SaPa in Schools program, we introduce lullabies from around the world to children of different ages. The idea is to send the message that, even though we may all look different, we are fundamentally the same. We are all soothed by the sounds of our parents lulling us to sleep, no matter where we come from.
Here is a lullaby from Benin, a small country in West Africa, with the lyrics in a language called Mina-Gen.
Lyrics and meaning
Iro ye,Nou ka ye manao
Iro ye,Nou ka ye manao
Nie nou do nou de anao
Napodenao
Akbe la mio nao
So yakbe na yoma
Meaning
My Iro,
What am I going to give you?
I have nothing to give you.
I’m going to pray for you.
Your life will be happy forever!
Here, Iro is the name of the child in the song. Try to sing the same song and replace the name with yours!
For parents/educatorsIf you are interested in helping your child build 21st century skills through music, write to us to bring the SaPa in Schools program to your institution. Read more about us here.
