Songs for the Inner Child

From the Artist

The following is a reprint of a letter to the listener that is found in the liner notes:

Dear Listener:

The inspiration to record this collection of songs came to me one night as I was singing my children to sleep. As I sat rocking my youngest child, I realized that the singing my children found so calming and nourishing could extend beyond their rooms. I was doing inner child work at the time, personally and in my practice as a counselor. I suspected that the experience of being sung to could be deeply healing for many of the adults I knew. I felt instinctively that the songs my husband and I had been singing to our children could be a blessing to a wider audience.

I began with six of the songs in my nightly repertoire that I felt were the most soothing. I said a prayer that any additional songs that would be useful would come to me. Within three weeks, four more songs had found their way to me, and I began work on the project.

Each of these songs was chosen for the strength of its healing message. I deliberately recorded them at tempos that are unhurried; so many of us were hurried as children, so few of us got enough of the kind of loving and gentle support that these songs bring.

As you listen, know that it is never too late to receive this kind of deep support. Music has the capacity to touch us in places that nothing else can. The child that lives inside of you can draw deeply from these songs, here and now, and be nourished and soothed by the energy they bring. Allow yourself to receive these songs intimately. Hear them as being sung just for you.

I have felt deeply supported and inspired as I’ve recorded these songs. I hope they will gift and support you on your way. ”

What I didn’t imagine when I wrote this letter in 1992, was that the songs would find a following for a wider audience than the “inner children” of adults as I’d first envisioned. I’ve been blessed, over the years, to receive hundreds of letters from people sharing their stories of how the songs have touched their lives. It has been my great privilege to discover that something I created has brought comfort and healing to so many people.

I’ve heard that parents with children of all ages have found the songs to be a gift. They’ve been used to settle cranky babies and toddlers, support the self-esteem of teenagers, comfort and inspire children with disabilities or life-threatening illness. They have, I’m told, helped keep the parents calm as well.

A wide range of therapists, clergy and spiritual teachers have let me know that they use the songs in their work, in individual and group settings. The songs have been particularly effective when used therapeutically with those in recovery from trauma or abuse, or dealing with serious illness in themselves or loved ones.

The songs have been played at weddings, births and funerals, in synagogues, and churches of many denominations. Hundreds of copies have been donated, by myself and others, to pediatric wards, hospice facilities, homeless shelters, shelters for victims of domestic abuse, oncology wards, and more, where the songs have proven to be of comfort and support.

When I first released the album, it was my prayer that these songs would find their way easily to those who could benefit from them. It is my personal belief that the songs have been finding their way on the wings of angels. If they’ve found their way to you, it is my hope that they will, in some way, be a gift.

About the Artist

Shaina Noll, a musician and counselor, received her vocal training during the years she spent studying to be an actress. She ultimately left that path, going on to receive a master’s degree in transpersonal psychology. Her music combines her gifts as a vocalist with her desire to provide music that is soothing, inspiring and uplifting.

Shaina lives, happily and quietly, outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is deeply devoted to her family: her husband, Richard, their daughter, Maria, son, Mischa, and two beloved dogs. She and Richard run the business of her label, Singing Heart Productions, and are currently at work on a new collection of songs.