Photo Courtesy of Jennifer Leffler
Sophomore Elliot Leffler is recognized for winning the contest that resulted in his song being played by the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra on Friday night.
On March 8th, sophomore Elliot Leffler’s original song was played by the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra at their Sounds of Cinema concert.
Leffler earned this opportunity through the Magic Baton Melody Contest. This is a melody composition contest in which students throughout District 6 create melodies for the Composer in Residence, Dylan Off-Fixmer, to review and select a winner. Leffler’s piece was chosen out of 42 other middle school and high school entries. After being chosen, the winner’s melody is then developed into a full-length song, however Leffler’s didn’t need much work as he had composed a full piano piece.
“I came up with a simple melody, then I got invested and I wanted to turn it into a full piece, so I took about a day and did just that,” Leffler mentioned.
As a part of his winnings, Leffler received a signed copy of his score as his family and friends cheered him on from the audience.
Choir director Rosie O’Connor encouraged Leffler to participate in the contest, along with her other choral students. “I believe it’s important for students to know they can pursue musical paths beyond performance and teaching,” O’Connor said. “I think Elliott won because he not only created a small melody but also composed a full-length, 3-minute-and-30-second piano piece with a beautiful melody and a chord progression that presented a cohesive thought.”
“He played it on the piano with such a strong sense of pride in his composition and I’m very proud of him,” said O’Connor
As the nonchalant person he is, Leffler mentioned, “I honestly forgot about the contest until it was announced that I won.”