Ellie Howard’s composition to debut at season finale concert—a major milestone for young musicians.
Young Composer’s Big Break
In a heartwarming twist, a fourth grader from Tope Elementary, Ellie Howard, has made an extraordinary leap from the classroom to the concert hall. The Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra (GJSO) has chosen Ellie’s composition, Ellie’s Melody, as the winner of the 2025 Crystal Baton Competition—a unique opportunity that showcases the talent of young musicians in the community.
“I felt proud of myself and really excited,” Ellie said. “Mostly I was just excited to, like, share my music with people.”
Her composition, which she crafted using the recorder, will be performed live at the orchestra’s season finale concert on May 3rd, held at the Grand Junction High School Auditorium. For Ellie, this marks the first time her piece will be played by professional musicians, turning her schoolyard music into a symphonic experience.
A New Voice in Music: The Power of Youth Composition
Charles Latshaw, the music director and conductor of GJSO, expressed how rare and valuable opportunities like this are for young aspiring composers.
“This early opportunity for elementary-age students to get an idea out and to figure out how to take a melody that you hear in your head and to write it down in a way that’s intelligible for other people to read and then hear the process of it coming back from musicians is really valuable and very exciting,” Latshaw explained.
Latshaw’s team, impressed by Ellie’s piece, noticed something special about Ellie’s Melody. “Ellie wrote just a melody, just notes for a melody at the top, but it feels like the harmonies could be very simple underneath or very complex underneath,” he said. “Neat twists in the melody where it goes in directions that you might not expect—that’s one of the great things about having kids write music. They don’t think about the rules of composition. Instead, they just write what sounds good to them.”
Musical Emotion: A Young Composer’s Expression
For Ellie, music isn’t just a creative outlet—it’s an emotional expression. She describes Ellie’s Melody as a blend of both happiness and sadness. The 9-year-old composer says that writing music allows her to channel her feelings into something tangible.
“Sometimes you can just like write it and you can just get lost in the rhythm,” she said, “and it’s really just a way of expressing your feelings.”
It’s this blend of emotion and creativity that has inspired her to share her piece with the world. Ellie’s enthusiasm is infectious, and she can’t wait for the audience’s reaction. “I hope your reaction will be like ‘Oh wow, this is really good music, a 9 almost 10-year-old wrote,” she said.
Making Music Accessible for All
For Latshaw and the GJSO, Ellie’s Melody isn’t just about one young girl’s success—it’s about fostering an inclusive environment where music is accessible to everyone, regardless of age or experience. This competition aims to inspire all young musicians and show that anyone has the potential to compose, create, and hear their work performed by a full orchestra.
“It’s about really sharing this opportunity that music learning is for everybody and that everybody has this opportunity to be a composer and to hear what an orchestra would sound like if they wrote their stuff,” Latshaw said.
A Family Effort
Ellie is quick to give credit to her family for their support. “I’m just really glad that my parents and family supported me in this,” she said. “They helped me a lot.”
While the piece will be performed by the orchestra, the roots of Ellie’s success come from the nurturing support system that has stood by her as she developed her love for music.
The Grand Finale: A Big Concert for a Big Achievement
Ellie’s Melody will be the highlight of the GJSO’s season finale concert, which will also feature Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. The performance will be even more exciting, as the Western Colorado Chorale and CMU Vocal Arts Ensemble will join the orchestra in a collaboration that brings together some of the region’s finest musical talents.
For Ellie, this is the culmination of years of practice, passion, and support. She’ll be stepping onto a stage that most young composers could only dream of.
