(ROCKWALL, TX – July 20, 2015) Rockwall mom Jessica Santangelo and her family are big fans of the band Train. They’ve been to countless concerts, and even a few meet and greets. But when her oldest daughters Madison and Melinda enrolled in American Sign Language classes at Heritage Christian Academy, they never expected it might lead to a chance to perform with some of their music heroes.
Madison (16) and Melinda (14) said they like to figure out the signs to the lyrics of their favorite songs. When Train released the song “Give It All” earlier this year, the girls decided to learn the signs. While Train performed “Give It All” in their Dallas concert in May, Madison and Melinda practiced signing the lyrics. A family friend happened to capture it on video and posted it on facebook. Within 48 hours, band members from Train shared the video and invited the girls to sign with them onstage at their next concert in Nashville, TN.
The band members were so impressed with Madison and Melinda’s performance that they asked the girls to join them in St. Louis the next night, and then to continue signing with them for the remainder of the tour. Unfortunately, the girls’ schedules wouldn’t allow for such a time commitment. But they will be joining Train in Quincy, WA this week to sign during a live DVD recording of the concert.
The girls said the feeling is still surreal.
“It hasn’t hit me honestly,” Madison said. “I know it’s really cool and a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
“I don’t think it becomes real for me until I step out on the stage,” Melinda said.
Jessica explained that although her daughters have only taken a few years of formal ASL classes at Heritage Christian Academy, they have prior experience with the deaf community. Madison and Melinda attended Davis Elementary in Plano, which is the hearing impaired elementary school for Collin County. The school was one of the highest rated in the area academically, and Jessica thought exposure to diversity would be beneficial to her children.
“I thought that would be an incredible experience for my kids,” she said.
“My best friend was deaf, so I had to learn how to talk to him,” Madison said.
Once Madison and Melinda found out they would be showcasing their sign language skills in front of thousands, their ASL teacher offered to help them fine tune and correct the signs they were using for the song lyrics. The girls explained that many similar words have very different signs.
“She made it more fluid,” Melinda said.
Once the signs were perfected, the girls had many hours of practice ahead of them to make sure the motions became second nature.
“It’s like a routine to me, like choreography or dance,” Madison said. “I’ve practiced so many times that I hear the music and boom: I’m signing. It’s one thing to learn the signs and get them right, it’s another to show the emotions on your face.”
The girls explained that they chose to learn this specific song because of the depth of its content. The music video for “Give It All” was created to address teen suicide as a joint effort between Train and an organization called Soul Pancake. It was launched in May for Mental Health Awareness Month, and serves to encourage viewers to prevent more loss of teen lives.
“The song has a deep-rooted personal heartache,” Jessica said. “It’s just a heartfelt song about loss, and my girls just felt a connection. Having teens up there signing brings a new element to this generation.”
Jessica said “Give It All” is lead singer Pat Monohan’s favorite song on the new album. She points out that the band members have always been great with her kids, and she believse that’s because they have teens of their own and can relate as parents how it amazing it is when someone your child admires takes an interest in them.
“This is what makes Train so great to the next generation of fans,” Jessica said.
“He’s very open to people coming on stage with them, but to ask us to be on the DVD—that’s a different story,” Madison said.
Since videos of their performances have appeared online, the girls have received praise from Train fans and even tasted a little bit of fame.
“They’ve had some great feedback,” Jessica said.
“It’s strange that people know who you are, but you don’t know who they are,” Melinda said.
Madison said one woman contacted them because she had always wanted to share the song “Give It All” with her deaf son, and now thanks to them, she finally could.
“That was my favorite,” Madison said.
While sign language is a hobby and a passion for the girls, they said they are excited that their contribution will allow the deaf community to connect to such a meaningful song.
“It’s definitely a really beautiful language and it’s very underappreciated,” Melinda said.
By Julie Anne White, Blue Ribbon News reporter.
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