Alicia Soh Finds Creative Expression Through Lullabies Amid Parenting Challenges
This month, during a recording session at the Maine College of Art and Design in Portland, Alicia Soh quietly rehearsed a lullaby, balancing her 9-month-old baby on her lap while her 3-year-old clamored for attention. Although she had never penned a song before, the experience of motherhood fueled her creativity.
Soh’s lyrics flowed naturally: “What I do for them, they do for me. No matter what we’re going through, love will always be there.” Her participation in this year’s Lullaby Project, organized by the Portland-based ensemble Palaver Strings, allowed her to collaborate with professional musicians to compose, record, and perform original lullabies.
Research has shown that lullabies can positively influence the mental and physical health of both infants and their parents. For years, Palaver Strings has integrated these findings into their annual songwriting initiative, which originated over a decade ago at Carnegie Hall in New York City and has since been adopted by various organizations globally.
While the program is not specifically designed for immigrant parents, Soh found solace in it during a challenging period when she had to keep her children home from school due to an ICE surge in January. “I felt really bad because I knew the kids loved going to school and having fun,” she shared, expressing her concern about their well-being while in isolation.
Soh’s husband, an immigrant from Angola, also faced emotional turmoil during this time, watching friends be detained amid the surge. Their 3-year-old son, Mohamed, was aware of the situation, asking his mother if she was a “bad guy” because he sensed the unease around them. “He kept saying, ‘Mommy, are you the bad guy outside? Don’t go,’” Soh explained.
To lift her children’s spirits, Soh engaged them in activities like singing, dancing, and cooking their favorite meals, such as sweet rice and chocolate cake. “I just want them to feel good and comfortable and forget about what’s going on outside for a little bit,” she added.
Music as a Source of Comfort for Immigrant Families
Clarice Carasira, another participant in the Lullaby Project, echoed this sentiment in her own way. She emphasized that music serves as a vital emotional outlet, providing comfort to children during stressful times. Carasira, who built her music career in Rwanda before moving to Maine five years ago, expressed, “Music is the language of love and the universal language of peace.”
For her 8-month-old baby, Kwema, Carasira composed a lullaby featuring lyrics in both English and Kinyarwanda, Rwanda’s national language. She explained that the song, titled “Ihorele”—which means “calm down, baby, be quiet”—has resonated with her child. “When he hears that, he stops whatever he’s doing,” she observed, adding that Kwema seems to recognize that it’s his special song.
This year’s Lullaby Project culminated in a heartfelt performance at Mayo Street Arts in Portland, attended by family and friends. Despite not having performed on stage since elementary school, Alicia Soh beamed with joy as she sang alongside her children. Even when Mohamed accidentally dropped the microphone mid-performance, she exhibited the poise of a seasoned parent, seamlessly moving to another microphone to continue her performance.
