Creative Health & Early Parenthood
Prelude is a creative health initiative transforming how early parenthood is experienced and supported in Ireland — through music, art, and community.
Our Purpose
Prelude emerges from nearly a decade of clinical practice, doctoral research, and international collaboration in perinatal creative health. We position the arts not as an add-on, but as a meaningful contributor to preventative, population-level care for families in Ireland.
Grounded in evidence that creative engagement improves perinatal wellbeing and reduces healthcare pressure, we work across community, cultural, and clinical settings to support parents from pregnancy through early family life.
"A healthy transition to parenthood requires social support, positive coping, meaning-making, and connection — and the arts can offer all of this."
— Pui Sze Cheung, PhD · Founder & Director
Our Approach
Prelude operates across three interconnected levels, ensuring that every family — regardless of their needs — can access meaningful creative support at the right time.
Inclusive, participatory arts programmes and cultural experiences accessible to all expectant and new parents. Infant-inclusive concerts, exhibitions, and participatory events that foster connection and shared experience.
High-quality arts practice embedded within maternity hospitals — composers and writers in residence, live performance, and original artwork that humanise clinical environments for patients and staff alike.
Evidence-based creative arts therapies — including music therapy and art therapy — for parents experiencing complex perinatal mental health needs, delivered by specialist practitioners.
What We Do
From community singing groups to maternity hospital artist residencies, our programmes are designed to meet families where they are — offering accessible, meaningful creative experiences at every stage of the perinatal journey.
Universal · Community
Infant-Inclusive Concerts & Cultural Events
Safe, welcoming performances curated for new families — no hush required.
Universal · Wellbeing
Parent–Infant Singing & Songwriting
Drawing on Breathe Melodies and Carnegie Hall Lullaby models to strengthen bonding.
Targeted · Arts in Health
Artist in Residence Programme
Composers and writers embedded within maternity settings, beginning at University Maternity Hospital Limerick.
Specialist · Therapy
Perinatal Music & Creative Arts Therapy
Specialist creative arts therapies for parents with complex mental health needs.
Sector · Capacity Building
Training, Networking & Research
Building a sustainable field of perinatal creative health practice across Ireland.
The People Behind Prelude
PhD · Founder & Director
Senior Music Therapist within the HSE Mid West Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Service and Creative Health Associate on the Arts4Us project. Her doctoral research on music in perinatal care in Ireland forms the evidence base for Prelude. Member of the WHO Music and Motherhood community of practice.
PhD · Co-Founder & Creative Director
Composer and Lecturer in Music Composition at Trinity College Dublin. Leads the artistic vision of Prelude, overseeing the Artist in Residence programme and the development of new multimodal creative work responding to the lived experience of early parenthood.
Aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Connect With Us
Whether you're a parent, healthcare professional, artist, or funder — we'd love to hear from you. Let's build something meaningful together.