Megan Weber Saw The Smile Created By Her

Second Song Of Love

By Shannon Hicks

Pop singer Jason Mraz has recorded a Song of Love. So have Sesame Street cast member Bob McGrath, rocker David Lee Roth, crooner Michael Bolton, singer Nancy Sinatra, and even Jamie-Lynn Signer of The Sopranos fame.

Newtown Middle School student Megan Weber has done two of the recordings that go to children and teens who are facing tough medical, physical, or emotional challenges. Her second recording came with a special caveat: in addition to knowing that she was recording a song that had been written to fit the recipient — including name and references to favorite activities, items, people and pets — Megan had the unusual opportunity of meeting Shenay Amponsah, the young girl about whom she recorded her second song.

“It was wonderful, and she was cool,” Megan said of her recent meeting with the New York City girl whose body has been affected by a disease that causes brittle bones and stunts her growth. Megan was among the crowd in the Marriott Marquis Grand Ballroom in Manhattan earlier this month when Northwestern Mutual, the company her father works for, hosted a regional meeting that included a presentation about Songs of Love. She was right there when Shenay Amponsah’s song was introduced to the young girl in a wheelchair in front of 2,500 people on Saturday, January 9. Megan also had the thrill of seeing a huge smile fill Shenay’s face when she learned that it was Megan who had recorded “Shenay’s Song” for her.

Songs of Love is a nonprofit organization that has produced more than 19,000 songs, free of charge, for children in more than 500 hospitals across the country and around the world. More than 350 songwriters, lyricists, instrumentalists, and vocalists have participated in the process of recording a song.

The organization was founded by John Beltzer in honor of his late twin brother Julio, who had schizophrenia and took his life in April 1984. Julio had written and recorded the original composition “Songs of Love” two months before his death, and it took his brother, a self-described struggling musician, ten years before he could figure out what to do with the melody and words his brother had put together.

Megan joined the pool of Songs of Love artists when she was 10 years old. Tim Weber, Megan’s father, works with Mike Rosenbaum, one of the composers for Songs of Love, and the two men know of Megan’s love of — and talent for — singing. She has been singing since she was old enough to vocalize along with her favorite Disney movie soundtrack.

“When I was little I used to love listening to The Little Mermaid, especially [the song] ‘Your World,’” Megan said.

“When she was really little she would play a video, stop it, write the words, rewind the video and sing along,” said Tim Weber, recalling his daughter’s first steps into the world of music. “That was when she was probably about 5.

“I think I realized her talent and love for singing at her first recital, when she stood up on the stage and sang ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow,’” the proud father continued. She had a blue Dorothy dress, a basket with a dog doll in it, her hair was in pigtails… I looked at her and thought ‘This is something she can really enjoy.’”

Megan, who is in the seventh grade at Newtown Middle School, has been taking singing lessons since second grade with Jackie Gaudet, who runs Newtown Music Studio. She has been involved in recitals, productions, and plays. She sang the national anthem to open a Bridgeport Bluefish game when she was 10 years old, and has also sung the national anthem prior to the Newtown Labor Day Road Race for the last few years. Last summer she was selected, through auditions, to sing “America the Beautiful” prior to a round of night games at the Pilot Pen Open in New Haven.

And when the opportunity was there, Megan was invited to sing what would be added to Songs of Love’s “medicine of music.”

Two years ago Megan went the traditional route with a Song of Love. Mike Rosenman had written a song for a 6-year old girl in Enfield who liked pink and purple and steak, among other things.

“The children fill out a profile that tells you all about them,” Megan said last week. Each song is tailored for the child who will receive it.

Flash forward two years, and Megan is still in love with singing and her father is still working at Northwestern Mutual along with Mike Rosenman. When Mr Weber learned that the company would be having its Eastern Regional Meeting shortly after the first of the year and that Mr Rosenman was going to be part of a presentation about Songs of Love during that meeting, Mr Weber thought it was time for his daughter to do another song.

It was already late December, but the team went to work. Mr Rosenman already had Shenay’s profile, so he knew that she loves dancing and singing, playing games, and especially watching SpongeBob SquarePants. She is also a huge fan of Hannah Montana, and loves being with her cousins. All of these interests found their way into Shenay’s song, while John Beltzer worked on the music.

“I think they did it in one day. They collaborate like crazy, and do great work,” said Tim Weber.

Within a few days the song was in Megan’s hands.

“I got it that day and took it to my lesson that night,” she said. “I practiced it, and went over it with my teacher and we got it.” A few days later Megan was off to John Beltzer’s studio in Forest Hills, N.Y., where she recorded the song.

On January 9, the song was presented to Shenay. A video presentation about Songs of Love was offered to the attendees of the Northwest Mutual Eastern Regional Meeting, and then the audience was invited to join Megan in presenting the newest Songs of Love recording to its recipient.

As Megan, Mike Rosenman, and John Beltzer took the stage in the Marquis ballroom, Shenay and her family were introduced as “Shenay’s Song” began to be played. The lyrics were projected on a screen behind the group on stage, and by the time the song hit its chorus, all 2,500 people in that ballroom were singing along.

“She was adorable,” Megan said of Shenay. “She loves to sing too, and she got the microphone and sang right along with the song. Her nickname is the chorus, and she was smiling when everyone was singing along with her.”

Shenay was, like all Songs of Love recipients, presented with a professionally produced CD of her song and the lyrics that Mike Rosenbaum created for her.

And Megan, like all Songs of Love singers, knows that her gift has made one more child happy thanks to the medicine of music.