- We are back, everybody.
And we've got Jodie Turner-Smith here.
Give it up everybody.
(audience cheering)
All right, all season we have asked local reporters
to share the people and organizations making a difference
in their hometowns.
It's all part of our search
for the good neighbor of the year.
(bright music)
♪ Good, good so good ♪
♪ Good neighbor of the year ♪
- Nicely done, Jesse.
In the end, you, the viewers will have a hand
in choosing the ultimate good neighbor.
We have seriously been all over the country.
Baltimore, Philly, Detroit, Raleigh, Boston
and today we head to Florida.
Joining us now is NBC 6 South Florida News Anchor,
Sheli Muñiz,
and also along with the artistic director
of the Miami Children's Chorus, Liana.
Y'all give it up.
(audience cheering)
Did I say it right?
Muñiz? - You nailed it.
- Muñiz. Okay.
I was like, I wanted to nail it, okay.
It's great to have you both here.
Thank you so much for coming.
So, oh, this is Jodi.
I'm a proper host.
(chuckles)
So Sheli, you wanted us to know
about the Miami Children's Chorus.
So why is it so important to you?
Why did it stand out above others?
- Kelly, thank you so much, first of all
for having us all the way from Miami.
- Yeah. - It is such an honor.
And when you think of Miami, you think of music.
It is so central to who we are.
So this is so fitting.
Miami Children's Chorus has been around
for more than 50 years.
It is a South Florida staple,
the oldest choral organization in our area.
And these children are being served
from eight to 18 years old.
And we're not just talking
about finding their voice when it comes to vocal talents,
but it's about the life skills they're getting,
the values that are being instilled, the friendships--
- So fulfilling. - Of course.
And I grew up singing in a choral program,
so for me it meant helping my trajectory as a journalist.
And it's those values that then carry you
and adapt to whatever these children decide to do one day.
- Absolutely. I grew up in a choral program as well.
It was awesome. - We know this.
- Yeah.
Makes your whole personality kind of come alive
in a different way.
So, Liana, tell us more about how the choir works.
- Sure. So we have students
from all over Miami Dade County and even beyond.
So they come to us every Saturday.
We have every year between a 100 and 150 students.
And no matter what kind of school they come from,
public, charter, private,
what ethnic background they come from,
economic background.
We're able to unite these students
from all over the greater Miami area
to learn about music fundamentals, about vocal technique.
We sing music from all over the world.
So everything from classical
to musical theater, jazz, pop, Latin music.
And then--
- That's so important! - It is.
- So like, show all of that.
I was shown that as a child and it changed me.
Like, it's so important, not just musically,
but as a human, like dipping into different cultures.
It's so important.
- Exactly. - Yeah
- Exactly.
So it's all about that worldview
and like Sheli said, just helping them
find their voices in music and beyond.
- Absolutely.
So Jodi, were ever a part of like choir,
any kind of program that really kind of helped you blossom
or find your like social skills?
- Yeah, I did sing in choirs
and I also sang in my church choir.
And that was really something that I did with my mom
and like through the encouragement of my mom,
who I feel like has kind of always been sort of
the person who is like the wind beneath my wings.
- Yeah. - Really, my mother.
- I love that, too.
I grew up in church, singing.
It's a different kind when you're singing
for something bigger than yourself.
- Yeah.
- It's something you learn like differently in your soul.
I love that.
Well, Liana, the kids don't just learn to sing.
They perform too, right?
- Oh, yeah.
Yeah, we have them in all different types
of performances, from local to national and international.
They've sung on the Arsht Center Stage in Miami,
the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
- [Kelly] Wow.
- Sydney Opera House in Australia.
And these projects, they're so cool, especially--
- I ain't never even done that yet.
(laughs)
I was like, wait, what?
Oh, that's so cool.
- Yeah. And then we get to work with artists like yourself.
Amazing people like Gloria Estefan,
we've sung live with her.
We just did an album with Manuel Turizo,
we're on two of his tracks.
With Emilio Estefan,
we're on that recent Christmas album
that the family put out.
And we even sang with Queen Latifah at the Super Bowl.
So, doing all these types of performances,
healthy students see that the stars are the limit.
I mean, there is no limit.
They can sing wherever and whatever they wanna sing.
And we've taken them on tour all over the world
from England, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, Australia.
- That's so important.
Like, past the music, like once again,
I went on scholarship,
but I was able with my choral program
to travel to Europe and to travel to different places
and see outside your small bubble.
And I think that we're so divided,
so it's so important, especially at a young age.
- Yeah.
- To be able to really go somewhere
and invest in that culture and really like, eat their food.
Like go to their shops, like, see them.
Like, it's just a different,
it's such a different thing for a kid to experience
and it's so important I think,
for as we grow up, not even--
Tolerance isn't the word.
It's like you just, you're aware
and you're not fearful of something
that you wouldn't have been aware of
if you hadn't had that opportunity.
Opportunity is so key.
And we have Sheli's colleague,
NBC 6 South Florida anchor, Roxanne Vargas
down in Miami with some of the students.
(audience clapping)
What's up, Roxy?
How you doing?
Great to see you.
- Great to see you, Kelly.
How you doing?
And shout out to my girl Sheli over there,
Liana and Jodi as well.
Let me tell you, this is so exciting
for all of us here in South Florida
to share the story of MCC.
So, I'm coming to you here
from the first Methodist United Church here in Coral Gables.
This is such a beautiful sacred space, right?
You have the beautiful carpet,
you have the marble, you have the stained glass,
and of course you have the wood bolted ceilings.
But it's everything that happens here,
in this beautiful sacred space, right?
And everything that MCC does,
these amazing children, they're incredible voices
that have gone on to do incredible things.
They've gone on Broadway, Maestro in Vienna,
you even have some choristers who are so inspired
that they come back.
I've been chatting with these kids all day
and they tell us how much they love the alumn.
Well, there's one alumn who came back,
she teaches, she conducts
and she's gone on to do pretty amazing things, Kelly.
She's been on a stage, a stage that you know very well.
A show, maybe you know about it,
"The Voice", she was on season 17.
Kelly, you do not know that she is here.
Let's bring in Melinda Rodriguez, season seventeen
on "The Voice". - Oh my God!
That's so awesome.
(audience clapping)
I love it. - I think we got her.
(laughs)
- What's up, Melinda?
Tell us more about what you do at the chorus
and what else you've been up to.
- Hi, Kelly.
So what I've been up to in the past couple years,
I've been gigging all around the country, really.
Just recently accepted a job
with the "Pershing's Own", Army Blues Band.
So I'll be making my way out to DC in just a couple months.
But most importantly, I've been spending my time here
with the Miami Children's Chorus teaching
for the past three years.
- Ah, that's incredible.
So, what's your connection to the chorus?
- So back when I was in high school,
I got a little bit more serious about music
and unfortunately the resources were limited
and couldn't afford private lessons or anything like that.
So I turned to my community.
I found Liana and I found the Miami Children's Chorus,
and I was a member throughout high school
and once I, you know, graduated,
I just loved it so much that I had to come back.
- I love that.
Well, Roxy, Melinda's students are set
to perform for us, right?
- Are they ready to perform?
Let me tell you.
I hope you have tissue boxes.
I've heard them all day.
They're just absolutely amazing.
So, should we show them what they could do, Melinda?
- Let's do it. - Let's do it.
So it is my pleasure
and my privilege to share with all of you.
The Miami Children's Chorus performing for you,
"Lean on me".
Melinda will be the conductor.
So go ahead and take it in.
Love it.
(audience clapping)
- [Melinda] One, two, three.
("Lean On Me")
♪ Sometimes in our lives ♪
♪ We all have pain ♪
♪ We all have sorrow ♪
♪ But if we are wise ♪
♪ We know that there's always tomorrow ♪
♪ Lean on me ♪
♪ When you're not strong ♪
♪ And I'll be your friend ♪
♪ I'll help you carry on ♪
♪ For it won't be long ♪
♪ Till I'm gonna need somebody to lean on ♪
♪ Call me ♪
♪ If you need a friend ♪ ♪ Call me ♪
♪ If you need somebody ♪ ♪ Call me ♪
♪ Just call me ♪ ♪ Call me ♪
♪ Just lean on me ♪ ♪ Call me ♪
♪ We can work it out ♪ ♪ Call me ♪
♪ Yes you can lean on me ♪
♪ Someday ♪
♪ You got to lean on me ♪
♪ Lean on me someday ♪
♪ Lean on me ♪
♪ Someday ♪
(audience clapping)
- That was incredible.
Job well done to all.
That was incredible, right?
- She's crying.
- So Liana, we have some good news for you, though.
We reached out to our friends at Spotify,
the audio streaming service, maybe you've heard of it.
They love the work that you're doing
at Miami Children's Chorus
and want to help you continue to grow.
So they're donating $10,000.
How's that sound? (audience cheering)
Just to help out.
It's incredible what you've--
Absolutely, I'd love a hug.
That was so cool.
- [Liana] Wow.
- It's so cool that you had that dream.
And then look what came to fruit and that's so cool.