Several times a month, the seniors of The Springs at Whitefish are treated to the sweet tones and harmonization of The Maple Trio, a Whitefish-based musical group consisting of Nancy Baracker and her daughters, Melina and Layla.

Nancy, 36, has been singing with Melina, 11, and Layla, 10, since they were old enough to speak, she said. The instruments the girls now play are a relatively new development, however.

“They’ve been playing for about two years now,” Nancy said. “But we’ve all been singing together since they were old enough to sing.”

Melina on the fiddle, and Layla on mandolin sing classic covers, gospel songs and instrumentals. The two are prodigies, but don’t let their skill go to their heads.

“My favorite part is learning new songs and playing them,” Melina said.

“I like getting really good at songs,” Layla said. 

The seniors of The Springs enjoy the Barackers’ performance whenever they come. The Maple Trio typically performs for most of an hour, around lunchtime, singing songs such as “Flowers on the Wall,” a Statler Brothers cover.

Phyllis Bouton, a resident of The Springs at Whitefish, said she looks forward to The Maple Trio’s visits.

“They are just the sweetest little girls, and still innocent,” she said. “They are still so innocent and they sing so well.”

For Nancy Baracker, monetizing her family’s performance hasn’t really been on her mind.

“We just love singing harmonies,” she said. “We do some open mic nights and Flathead Care concerts, but this place is really one of the reasons I decided we should do this. the residents are always so receptive and warm.”

The Maple Trio has an official Facebook page with some of its performance videos. You can visit the link at https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Maple-Trio/1541709276062479. 

Even though they are string instrument prodigies, Melina and Layla remain little girls and they remain sisters.

“They either get along really well or very poorly,” Nancy said. “But they always love playing music.”

Soon, the group will expand to other venues, including the Montana Veterans Home in Columbia Falls.