Samantha Witt, 8,
her great-grandmother
Mathilda Weintraub and
her mom, Julie Witt,
share their musical

talent.

She's Got Talent!

Musical prodigy is third-generation piano player in this local family.

Alison Schwartz
Special to the Jewish News

W

ith a mother and great-grand-
mother for piano teachers,
it was only a matter of time
before little Samantha Witt would make a
beeline for the ivories.
"She was 4 years old when she came
with me to a piano recital for my students.
After that, she couldn't wait to learn — she
wanted to be on the stage performing in
front of an audience explains Julie Witt,
Samantha's mother, who has been teaching
the piano in Metro Detroit for more than
20 years.
"I started off slowly, giving her short les-

(

L-Llzall, zapv

sons, but very soon it was apparent that she
wanted to learn more and would practice
by herself for hours. She just loves all music
— playing the piano, dancing, singing and
even performing. She has no nerves at all!"
Samantha, who recently turned 8 and is
now a third-grader at Doherty Elementary
School in West Bloomfield, plays anything
from Beethoven to jazz, Broadway stan-
dards to pop songs. While most children
her age could be expected to memorize one
or two pieces of music a year, Samantha
has a repertoire of about 20 pieces that she
knows without sheet music.
"I think Samantha could be put on a
stage and play for two hours straight with-
out music in front of her," says her proud

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16 January 3 • 2013

mom, who is married to Frank and also has
a 3-year-old son Brandon. The family is a
member of Temple Israel.
Witt, 44, of West Bloomfield, says her
own passion for the instrument came from
her grandmother Mathilda Weintraub, who
will be 98 on Dec. 27, and who studied
music at the Detroit Conservatory before
becoming a piano teacher in Detroit.
"I was the only grandchild who played
the piano, and it gave me a huge connection
with my Nana," explains Witt. "We would
play together, without talking, and it was as
if we were having a conversation:'
Weintraub, who now lives in Pembroke
Pines, Fla., was in tears when she heard her
great-granddaughter's tremendous piano
skills at a recent family gathering. "I think
she was really moved that her talent had
passed through the generations:' says Witt.
In her own life, Witt says the type of
music she plays can reflect the mood she is
in. "If I'm playing a heavy Chopin piece the
kids know it's probably a good idea to leave
me alone. If I'm playing a light and airy
Mozart piece, they know that I'm likely in a
good mood!" she says.
For Samantha, who also has done model-
ing work, appeared in advertisements and
is currently doing auditions for movies,
playing the piano gives her a simple plea-
sure. "I love to make people happy — kids,
adults or older people — because it makes
me really happy, too:' says Samantha, who
has played concerts for disabled children,

for elderly people in assisted living facilities,
as well as at bar mitzvahs and weddings.
Like her mom, she has seen firsthand
how children and adults with learning dis-
abilities can respond positively to music.
One of Witt's students, a young adult with
Fragile X Syndrome (intellectual disability),
was very excited when he heard Samantha
play for him recently; during the summer,
Samantha also played a concert at a camp
for children with special needs.
Both mom and daughter know that
enjoyment of music has no age barrier.
"When I went to Fleishman Residence in
November, the people there were applaud-
ing me and smiling, and some were
even dancing," says Samantha, grinning.
"Someone came up to me and said: 'I guess
I'm going to see you on American Idol,' and
someone else tried to give me a quarter. I
just told him 'no, thank you' because per-
forming is what I love to do:'
This past summer, Samantha's talent
was officially acknowledged when she was
named the runner up in Detroit's Got Talent
youth showcase, which was open to chil-
dren aged 7 to 18. Samantha, the youngest
entrant, memorized a nine-page compila-
tion of music by the band Journey.
"There were about 400 people in the
audience and you could tell they just loved
her — and she loved them:' says Witt. "It
was really a wonderful thing to see:'

❑

To book Samantha, email sowittyl@aol.com.