Gifted Harmony keeps a song in its heart

Leah Duval will turn 16 in June, so it won’t be long before she is driving.

But what she remembers most about her journey is the riding.

She rode everywhere with her mother, Wanda, who spent seven years working at Heartland Hospice.

Across town. Down boulevards. Around parking lots. She was always buckled in, with a song in her heart.

“I was hauling Leah around, and I would have her sing or play the violin at nursing homes and senior centers,” said Wanda. “Sometimes she would go around with a musical therapist. She learned the value of music. She would sing to the people there, and they would sing along.”

Those early audiences were only the beginning of her ministry. She began playing violin in the second grade at Vineville Academy. She became party of the Mercer Youth Symphony and the chamber orchestra at school.

In the seventh grade, Leah began singing in chorus at Howard Middle School. She made perfect scores two straight years when she auditioned for all-state chorus. She began taking voice lessons from Marie Roberts, one of the best vocal coaches in Macon.

She is now one of only a handful of high school students in the Middle Georgia Choral Society, under the direction of Marie’s husband, Stanley Roberts.

But this is not a story about Leah’s impressive musical resume at a young age. You may be hearing and reading about that for years to come.

Leah is founder and director of Gifted Harmony, a choir made up of special needs citizens, with an emphasis on the special.

She said she “wanted to do something different” when she started looking for ways to give back to the community and make a difference.

As it turned out, her answer was right in front of her. She had grown up with it. Her 47-year-old aunt, who is her mother’s sister, is developmentally delayed.

Her idea for a choir was hatched last fall. She opened it up to people of all ages, races and challenges — from Down syndrome to autism.

The name Gifted Harmony was fitting.

They are gifted. The harmony is a work in progress.

Wanda said they intentionally stayed away from using the word “special” in the name.

“We didn’t want it to be labeled,” she said. “Everything has ‘special’ in it. Special needs. Special Education. Special Olympics. We wanted to put them in a different light.”

Leah and her mother spent four months organizing, promoting and recruiting volunteers.

She now has about a dozen faithful singers — and an equal number of volunteers — who rehearse on Monday evenings twice a month at First Baptist Church on New Street. They gave their first concert there a few weeks ago.

They sung the national anthem at a Mercer baseball game. Sunday, they will sing for the youth at Hazzard Missionary Baptist Church on Heath Road. They are scheduled to sing the national anthem at National Night Out in August.

“It’s exciting when a student wants to do something deeper with music,” said Mitchell Moore, director of choral activities and musical theater at Howard High School. “I gave her a few pointers about directing, but she was a natural. She knew how to interact with people with special needs because she has been around it all her life. To watch her grow and lead with such energy and passion as a 10th grader has been incredible and inspiring.”

Sometimes, Leah must change the key to fit the voices. Other times, she must speed up the medley or slow it down.

She, too, has changed.

“They have changed my life in big ways,” she said. “My love for them has grown.”

At one rehearsal, Leah was frustrated and overwhelmed with the stress of life and school and broke into tears. Her choir members quickly surrounded her and comforted her.

“They are always so happy,” said Wanda. “It doesn’t matter how hard the day has been, or how tired we are when we drag in here on Mondays, they are always excited. They make us feel like royalty.”

For more information about the Gifted Harmony choir, please call 478-318-6337

This story was originally published April 28, 2017 at 4:37 PM with the headline "Gifted Harmony keeps a song in its heart."