Rivanna Music: Soothing Children with Lullabies

Childrenīs lullabies are a worldwide tradition. When Cathy Bollinger was in college she met Zane Apprey, a dedicated music therapist who served as her mentor and taught her that opportunities to use music to nurture and inspire surround us. Bollinger earned her masters degree at Hahnemann University in Philadelphia.

After her first son was born, she began singing lullabies. "I ran through all the ones I knew and started writing my own for the sake of variety," Bollinger explains. "It was an old friend who suggested recording them, and it dovetailed nicely with my strong desire to have more time with my baby. So, he and I began our first marketing campaign, sending out samples to stores throughout the country."

Finding Her Niche

The timing was great. There were only a few lullaby tapes available, so Bollinger was successful. This was before the Internet, and marketing entailed footwork. She contacted different types of retailers that might be interested in childrenīs music, such as toy stores, bookstores, and childrenīs clothing and furniture stores.

"We gave away a lot of samples and made numerous follow-up calls to get someone to listen and make a decision," she says. "Merchants are busy, but sometimes persistence paid off, and a third of the samples we sent resulted in the acquisition of a new retail account. With the development of the Internet, weīve moved largely to online marketing and catalog distribution."

Songs for Mother and Child

Bollinger has released six CDs, two of which teach a child to speak. Her CDs feature a side for mothers and a side for children. Based on fan mail, her lullaby favorites are selections from the side for moms, "The Apple of Your Fatherīs Eye and the Key to My Heart" and "Tickles and Hugs." Her two best-selling CD titles are From a Motherīs Heart and Singing Sounds. She expects her newly released sixth CD, Toddlinī Tunes, to do well.

Ten percent of her sales are international. Last year a German company bought the rights to use a song from Singing Sounds called "Leo the Lazy Lion" for use on a multimedia program to teach children English.

The biggest change Bollinger has seen in childrenīs music in the last decade is the increase in the number of childrenīs artists. Sixteen years ago lullaby tapes were a rarity. Today, there are many on the market.

Still, Bollingerīs musical gift shows no sign of diminishing. Her philosophy: "Do what you love, dream large, and work hard."