ATLANTA — By the time she was old enough to walk, Brooklyn Grace was sitting at a piano, her tiny fingers exploring the keys. She’s always been drawn to music. It’s a part of who she is.
Her mom Lexie Hunt said, “Music is her passion and her way of expressing herself.”
The 8-year-old feels at home in the spotlight. She is a light in a world she cannot see.
“Her senses are heightened since she is visually impaired,” Hunt said. She’s thankful their family has had a place to nurture her gift and passion. It’s called Songs For Kids, a foundation with a studio close to Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta.
“It’s a place really helping the kids grow and open up more,” Hunt said. “I really feel like it’s helped Brooklyn do that because she gets to be on stage and be herself.”
Songs For Kids is a safe place for children and young adults with illnesses, injuries, and disabilities.
It’s a place that recognizes they deserve a place on stage.
Songs For Kids musicians impact the lives of kids in and out of hospitals through live interactive concerts or bedside performances. They provide mentorship and teaching.
Lexie Hunt has seen Brooklyn Grace bloom in her time there.
“It makes me happy to know she is up there doing what she loves," the mom said.
Brooklyn Grace was 7 weeks old when her doctors diagnosed her with a rare genetic condition called Septo-optic dysplasia.
We first met when she was 3 years old. She was finding her way and her voice. Music was already the center of her joy and central to discovering the courage within her.
“She doesn’t have any fear,” her mom said. “She can get up on the stage and just start singing.”
That is a big transformation her family is thankful for.
“She used to be so shy and quiet and didn’t want to open up," Lexie said.
11Alive anchor Cheryl Preheim took her family to see a Songs for Kids show, and when she met Brooklyn Grace backstage, she wasn’t nervous at all. She confidently walked on stage with her mobility cane and navigated a full stage of wires, people, and instruments to make her way to the microphone.
Her positive perspective on life and passion are contagious. The crowd loved her and all the performers who took the stage. Each of their stories is a living example of courage and inspiration.
Music is a language that goes beyond circumstance, labels, and limits.
Brooklyn Grace’s family feels it’s a gift from God.
Her mom laughed, “We know she didn’t get it from me or her dad.” Brooklyn smiled. “Oh, no, I definitely didn’t get it from daddy.”
There is no doubt that music is a gift within her. What a gift to have a place to share it.