music

Story·Betty Julia Rosen, age 12 — A young violist struggles with harsh criticism and self-doubt before finding confidence through an orchestra audition, culminating in both musical success and a first date.

Poetry·Katie Ferman, age 11 — A child recalls traveling interstate routes with her father, listening to Willie Nelson, wishing she could relive that hazy memory a thousand times.

Story·Brittany Newell, age 10 — A girl finds escape and identity through playing her dusty family piano, culminating in a Christmas Eve performance where she becomes one with the instrument.

Story·Margaret Bryan, age 10 — A girl treasures a robin's feather and its song, loses the feather to her sister's art project, then rediscovers music's magic through her sister's violin playing.

Story·Sandra Detweiler, age 13 — A grieving girl meets a blind pianist after saving her from a bicycle collision, discovering friendship and music can pierce through darkness.

Poetry·Norah Brady, age 13 — Night sounds — cricket drone, rain on gutters, distant conversations — become a symphony as the world falls into sleep.

Story·Evelyn Chen, age 13 — A teen reluctantly agrees to teach piano to her blind neighbor, confronting her own prejudices when the girl calls her out for treating her differently because of her disability.

Story·Sophia Pellegrino, age 11 — Carmen wins a coveted violin solo over popular classmate Gabriella, but when she finds Gabriella crying, they discover they both wanted to be friends all along.

Story·Sophia Pellegrino, age 11 — Carmen auditions for a violin solo against the popular new girl Gabriella, wins the part, then discovers Gabriella wanted to be friends all along.

Story·Eri Mizobe, age 13 — A half-Japanese, half-Chinese girl struggles to fit in at her new Japanese school until her kindness toward a cruel classmate transforms their relationship during a school musical.