Menolly

from the Pern books (beginning with Dragonsong) by Ann McCaffrey

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" 'Women can't be harpers,' she'd said to Petiron, astonished and awed.
'One in ten hundred have perfect pitch,' Petiron had said... 'One in ten thousand can build and acceptable melody with meaningful words. Were you only a lad, there'd be no problem at all."

" 'It's so beautiful. It's such a challenge, to hear the interweaving harmonies and the melody line changing from instrument to instrument. I felt as if I was... flying on a dragon!' "

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I love Menolly for so many reasons. First off, she's denied music as a girl because it's not an appropriate occupation for women in their society. But she can't keep herself from composing and playing and is beaten for it. She runs away to a cave on the beach where she finds herself at the hatching of nine fire lizards, which are kin to dragons (also a major part of the Pern novels). Her personal journey to find her place in the world makes her an exciting and relatable character. Especially if you love music, you'll want to follow her adventures as she hones her talent and learns that there is a place for her songs.