Bobby Eichfeld remembers his daughter Eleta bringing him a piece of paper filled with scribbled lines.
She was about 6 or 7 years old at the time, and Eleta was all smiles as she handed her dad a song she wrote.
“She comes in and says, ‘Hey dad, I wrote a song,’ ” Bobby said. “I’m thinking, ‘Oh this is going to be a bumble.’ Well, I read it and this thing made sense. It was a love song called ‘Lightning.’ She wrote one verse and one hook. That was it. But I’m thinking this girl just wrote a song that makes sense at 6 years old. I couldn’t even do this now. We framed it and it hangs in my wife’s office. She laughs because she thinks it’s normal.”
It was the moment they knew Eleta was special. She had already been singing since about 4 or 5 years old, but her advancements in singing and songwriting over the next few years put the Eichfelds as a crossroads. They were living in Cherry Hill at the time but knew Eleta would have the best opportunity to strengthen her talents across the river in Philadelphia.
“She really snowballed to where she really fell in love with the musical part of it,” Bobby said. “For some reason, she got really good at singing and started writing. By the time she was 8, we said, we have to feed this a little bit and at least get her some kind of education with it.”
Eleta auditioned and was accepted as a fifth-grader at the Girard Academic Music Program in South Philly. The Eichfelds sold the house and moved to Naval Square in South Philly’s Graduate Hospital neighborhood to be closer to school. They basically uprooted everything on the decision of a 9-year-old.
“We didn’t think we’d get in because we were from New Jersey and there was a waiting list,” he said. “But she got in, and we had a month or two to decide. We made that decision to move to Philadelphia on a whim.”
Eleta had to leave her friends behind and start a new school in a different state.
“It was sad to leave my friends behind,” Eleta said. “But I was happy to get this opportunity at a new school.”
Eleta is now in eighth grade at GAMP and she was recently accepted to the High School for Creative and Performing Arts on Broad Street. It was a rigorous five-month process including an audition in front of school officials. To make it even tougher, she had an upper respiratory infection during the audition.
“It was a little scary because I was sick (for the audition),” Eleta said. “But it didn’t really affect my voice, I don’t think.”
Her parents were more nervous than she was.
“It’s a long process. It was a grind,” Bobby said. “We fell in love with the school and met the vocal director. The school is absolutely gorgeous. There were a few hundred kids trying out for 25 spots. And they’re all good. We were nervous but she was as cool as a cucumber.”
Eleta is used to performing on big stages. She previously performed at the Arden Theatre and Walnut Street Theatre. Her favorite role was the lead in Mary Poppins. She carries a quiet confidence into each performance.
“I’ve just been doing it all my life so I just love it,” Eleta said. “It can be scary, I guess, but I always know I’m going to do fine.”
The scarier moment might have been experienced by her parents when they decided to “go for it” and move to South Philly, although it was beneficial for the family in other ways. Eleta’s mom works at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, which is now walking distance from where they live. Still, there’s always the fear that it won’t work out.
“We prayed a little bit,” Bobby said. “Either it’s going to work out or it’s not. But even if it didn’t work out where she didn’t enjoy it, she’s our only child and we’re just trying to make the best decisions for her. We decided to do it. We didn’t have a plan B.”
After writing that first song seven years ago, Eleta now has 12 songs written and ready to record. She’s ready to hopefully pursue a long music career.
“I want to sing music and perform and tour and be on the radio,” she said. “Singers do all of it.”
After homework, anyway. The next four years will be spent at CAPA and continuing to learn under her singing coach Martha Lavender in Cherry Hill. Then, who knows? The Eichfelds proved they aren’t afraid to follow their dreams.
“The journey has been amazing just watching her have fun,” Bobby said. “All we wanted was for her to enjoy what she’s doing.”
