When her voice student Bernie Dalton was diagnosed with bulbar-onset ALS — an aggressive disease that affects swallowing, speech and respiration — San Francisco singer-songwriter and vocal instructor Essence Goldman made it her mission to bring his songs to life. Dalton had composed a set of lyrics for his 16-year-old daughter, Nicole, so Goldman put her own career on hold and put together a band, launched a GoFundMe campaign and raised enough money to record an album putting his words to music.