Music in My Heart: My Journey with Melody

After dinner, Melody and I sit on the front steps and make a plan. I admit I’m scared to go to the demonstration. Melody looks relieved and says she feels the same. But we have to help Auntie Josephine and Uncle Al. They’re losing everything, even their piano.

I shrug and say maybe we can buy them a new piano if we win a million dollars. Melody laughs and says a million dollars could buy them a whole new building. I chuckle and prop my elbows up on my knees. For some reason, an image of my dad pops into my mind. I jump up and say we can do a fundraiser. I explain to Melody that my dad is a politician who raises money for his campaigns. Melody looks awestruck when I tell her that he’s a politician, just like I felt when I found out Dwayne was a recording artist. I try to emphasize that we can fundraise just like he does. We can ask people to help Al and Josephine get a new piano.

Melody takes a deep breath and blows it out slowly before saying it might not be easy. Her Junior Block Club wanted new swings at the playground. They wrote letters to the Parks Department, but it took a long time to get help. She doesn’t know what to write about a new piano for two people. My hopes begin to sink again. Then I realize, if we want to raise money for a piano, we have to talk to people who care about music as much as we do.

Melody gets a glimmer in her eye and says she knows where to find people like that: her church. I ask if we can do a concert there. Melody chews her lip and says we can ask Miss Dorothy. But there’s already a concert on the church calendar on Tuesday night. My concert.

I pause, and Melody says that it’s the traveling church choir. Worry nibbles in my stomach. I’m not actually a part of that choir. I carefully tell Melody I’d much rather do a fundraiser with her. Melody’s face softens and says we can ask Miss Dorothy if we can play something during the middle of the performance. Then, we can talk to the congregation and ask them to donate money for the new piano.

My worry is gone, but I feel something else now: pride. Melody and I put our heads together and came up with a good idea. And Dad would be proud of me, too.

On Monday, we call Miss Dorothy, who thinks the fundraiser is a great idea. Now all we have to do is choose a song to play. Melody says we don’t have a lot of time to practice, so we should pick a song we already know. I ask her what songs we both know?

We sit together a Big Momma’s couch just like we did on Saturday night. Finally, we look at each other and say “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” together. I ask if we should practice it now. We sit together at Big Momma’s piano, and I’m thrilled to see my fingers remember the notes. And Melody knows every word of this song, too, because her youth choir sang it. We practice the song several times, polishing it until it’s perfect.

And that’s when it strikes me. I’m not going to look perfect Tuesday night. I should dress up for the concert, but I don’t have anything fancy to wear. When I tell Melody, a huge grin spreads across her face and she says that she can help me with that.