Garden City Public Schools

On Dec. 17, Garden City Middle School’s winter concert featured a special highlight: the premiere of “Emmett’s Entrance,” an original composition by eighth grader Emmett Owens. The piece marked Emmett’s composing debut and was performed by the Garden City Middle School Late Night Jazz Ensemble.

Emmett began exploring musical composition earlier this year, writing short pieces and sharing them with his band teacher, Ms. Iovino. Recognizing his growing talent and enthusiasm, Ms. Iovino encouraged Emmett to take the next step by composing an original work specifically for the jazz ensemble.

Over the summer, Emmett developed the piece using Logic Pro, a digital recording software, before transferring it into Noteflight, a music notation program. Throughout the process, he worked closely with Ms. Iovino to strengthen his understanding of musical form and instrument ranges, thoughtfully refining the composition.

The premiere of “Emmett’s Entrance” marked an exciting and significant milestone in Emmett’s musical journey and highlighted the creativity and dedication of Garden City Middle School’s student musicians.