“Just because I wear hearing aids and have hip issues, that shouldn’t mean that I can’t conquer the world … It just means that I have to be selective about what I do so that I can succeed at it.” – Lorel LealĪlthough there were drawbacks to attending school at home, Leal relished the opportunity to practice her music. “It just means that I have to be selective about what I do so that I can succeed at it.” ![]() “Just because I wear hearing aids and have hip issues, that shouldn’t mean that I can’t conquer the world,” she says. “There was a lot of tears.”īut Leal let nothing stand in the way of her love for music. ![]() “People were so mean to me that I just had no self-worth anymore,” she adds. “It’s painful to walk, to run, to go shopping - anything standing is painful, and the school that I was going to was all about physical activity which, of course, I couldn’t excel at,” says Leal.Īside from her disabilities, Leal was often bullied. In her grade eight year, Leal’s family made the decision to pull her out of public school after certain issues arose.īorn with congenital hip dysplasia and developing hearing impairments at the age of four, Leal’s life hasn’t been easy. Though she was diagnosed with a hearing impairment at a young age, she has never let her disability stop her from playing the instrument she loves. “As an older child, I learned that her ‘I can do it myself’ attitude meant that I could only offer musical advice when asked.” Since Lorel Leal was a child she has gravitated towards the piano. “She would gravitate to the piano and ‘play’ quite often,” recounts Plett. “She refused to allow the physical difficulties immobilize her.”Ī jack of all trades, ranging from xylophone to trumpet to guitar, Leal’s affection resonated most strongly with the piano. “I think Lorel’s strong sense of determination and drive is partially genetic – guilty by association,” Plett remarks. Our home was generally quiet … which explains why we did not suspect any hearing loss until we were able to compare her responses to sound with other children’s,” says Plett.īut Leal’s mother was never concerned about her future in music because her passion never waned. “Of course, subsequent hearing tests confirmed this. Her hearing loss affected the volume of sounds she could hear. Leal’s diagnosis revealed she had mild to moderate hearing impairments. Plett had been babysitting for neighbours when she realized Leal could not hear her call while the other children could. Many people commented on her amazing level of self-confidence and pitch control,” Ivy Plett, Leal’s mother, describes.ĭespite her musical talents, Leal’s parents suspected a hearing impairment when their daughter was four. “If the music can make someone else feel something – if it makes them want to move, if it makes them want to dance, if it brings a smile to their face, then I’ve done what I’ve wanted to do.”īorn to two musical parents, Leal’s musical skills were apparent even at a young age. I like to play music that speaks to people,” Leal explains. Much like Wonderland was to Alice, Leal says piano is her escape from reality. ![]() For dancers, the right accent, the right rhythms, the right speed.” “When you’re accompanying, you need to be a smart piano player. An accompanist can make or break a ballet class, but Lorel Leal’s inspiring music helps lift the dancers at the Alberta Ballet off the ground. The music needs to be light when they’re jumping – to be strong when there’s a big jump, but it can’t be heavy because then they don’t get off the floor,” she adds.Ī native Calgarian, Leal has performed with the Heritage Christian Academy Senior Choir in Chicago, Orlando, Seattle, the Netherlands, Amsterdam and Disneyland. “I have to pick the right tempo, the right qualities. If I do my job great enough, you won’t really notice me, they’ll just look really good,” says Leal. “It’s an art, it’s not just a piano player … My job is to make sure other people are awesome. Leal is a unique pianist, and not just because of her impeccable playing.ĭespite being diagnosed with hearing impairments at the age of four, Leal is an accompanist for Alberta Ballet, one of the leading training institutions in Canada and a mom of two. ![]() Her fingers are dancing on a grand piano, hitting and leaping over 88 keys of a black and white geography. The music stand lies empty she reads the notes within her mind. Her head bends towards the keys, hair falling between her focused eyes and the piano. In the corner of the ballet studio, Lorel Leal plays her rendition of the Super Mario Brothers’ theme song.
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