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For string orchestra
A traditional carol with a distinctly nontraditional approach!
The familiar carol is combined with some old-time fiddling figures in the comfortable key of D major. Easy parts for violin, viola, and cello are included so all students can perform with success.
Violin ensemble
The forest awakens!
In this short piece in A Major, bird calls from violin 1 are answered by the other birds of the forest with playful trills and harmonics. There is an optional easy violin part so beginners can play along.
In this short piece in A Major, bird calls from violin 1 are answered by the other birds of the forest with playful trills and harmonics. There is an optional easy violin part so beginners can play along.
Violin Ensemble
This haunting d minor piece in 3/4 time introduces young ears to some dissonance and interesting and beautiful harmonies.
Players will have fun alternating between the singing melody and the interesting pizzicato and double stop accompaniment parts. There is an optional easy violin part so that beginners can play along.
Players will have fun alternating between the singing melody and the interesting pizzicato and double stop accompaniment parts. There is an optional easy violin part so that beginners can play along.
Violin Ensemble
During this sweet and simple piece in D Major, young musicians will imagine birds soaring overhead.
The melody is shared by violin 1 and 2 and the repetitive accompaniment parts are easy and fun to play. This piece will give young violinists a chance to play expressively with long bows. There is an optional easy part so that beginners can play along.
The melody is shared by violin 1 and 2 and the repetitive accompaniment parts are easy and fun to play. This piece will give young violinists a chance to play expressively with long bows. There is an optional easy part so that beginners can play along.
For string orchestra
Haunted Halloween Dances is a suite of suite of three Halloween-themed dances for string orchestra.
They can be played together, or each is long enough to stand on its own.
The “Spooky Samba” (in a minor) has an atmospheric introduction with a catchy samba rhythm and some easy open-string harmonics. The violas and cellos get the first statement of the theme while the violins continue the samba rhythm. The upper strings eventually get the melody, and later you can hear this melody in canon with the cello section. The melody becomes altered at one point as the sections battle it out between Good and Evil as the melody alternates between A major and a minor. This passage provides a perfect chance to teach young musicians how changing one step of the scale can dramatically alter the melody’s character. Sure to be a favorite with your orchestra, the Spooky Samba gives every section a chance to play the melody, the samba rhythm, col legno, pizzicato, and harmonics.
The “Terrible Tango” (in d minor) is a dramatic showpiece perfect for your next Halloween-themed concert. The unrelenting tango rhythms in the cello and bass and the viola’s tremolo set the tone for a dark and menacing dance. The tango melody is dramatic and sweeping and travels throughout the orchestra. Every section gets a chance to play the melody and also the vital tango rhythm. During the piece, a tutti piano section creates tension and drama and tests the dynamic range of the orchestra. Throughout the piece, tremolo, col legno, and pizzicato add color and interest for the players and the audience.
The “Weird Waltz” (in e minor) is just that. The haunting waltz melody at times feels clumsy and awkward due to the occasional use of hemiola. In addition to brief hemiola sections, some very deliberate dissonances add tension and humor. Young musicians will enjoy leaning into their “wrong” notes. The Weird Waltz has something for everyone- every section gets a chance to play the melody and play with expression through their whole dynamic range.
They can be played together, or each is long enough to stand on its own.
The “Spooky Samba” (in a minor) has an atmospheric introduction with a catchy samba rhythm and some easy open-string harmonics. The violas and cellos get the first statement of the theme while the violins continue the samba rhythm. The upper strings eventually get the melody, and later you can hear this melody in canon with the cello section. The melody becomes altered at one point as the sections battle it out between Good and Evil as the melody alternates between A major and a minor. This passage provides a perfect chance to teach young musicians how changing one step of the scale can dramatically alter the melody’s character. Sure to be a favorite with your orchestra, the Spooky Samba gives every section a chance to play the melody, the samba rhythm, col legno, pizzicato, and harmonics.
The “Terrible Tango” (in d minor) is a dramatic showpiece perfect for your next Halloween-themed concert. The unrelenting tango rhythms in the cello and bass and the viola’s tremolo set the tone for a dark and menacing dance. The tango melody is dramatic and sweeping and travels throughout the orchestra. Every section gets a chance to play the melody and also the vital tango rhythm. During the piece, a tutti piano section creates tension and drama and tests the dynamic range of the orchestra. Throughout the piece, tremolo, col legno, and pizzicato add color and interest for the players and the audience.
The “Weird Waltz” (in e minor) is just that. The haunting waltz melody at times feels clumsy and awkward due to the occasional use of hemiola. In addition to brief hemiola sections, some very deliberate dissonances add tension and humor. Young musicians will enjoy leaning into their “wrong” notes. The Weird Waltz has something for everyone- every section gets a chance to play the melody and play with expression through their whole dynamic range.
For string orchestra
Not surprisingly, this piece in D major highlights the cello section.
Young cellists will love having the melody and several brief solos. Though the focus is on the cellos, every section has plenty to do. Shifting in bass part is marked clearly. Its repetitive rhythms and finger patterns make this an easy piece to teach in a group setting. Optional piano and third violin parts are included. The optional piano part adds harmonic and rhythmic interest.
Young cellists will love having the melody and several brief solos. Though the focus is on the cellos, every section has plenty to do. Shifting in bass part is marked clearly. Its repetitive rhythms and finger patterns make this an easy piece to teach in a group setting. Optional piano and third violin parts are included. The optional piano part adds harmonic and rhythmic interest.
For string orchestra, D Major
This delightful level one string orchestra piece will keep everyone on their toes!
Every section gets a turn to play the simple D Major melody, and everyone gets a chance to be part of the rhythm section when it is their turn to play the shaker. This piece reinforces listening skills and ensemble playing but more importantly, it is just plain fun! Egg shakers are recommended but a small DIY shaker works just as well.
Every section gets a turn to play the simple D Major melody, and everyone gets a chance to be part of the rhythm section when it is their turn to play the shaker. This piece reinforces listening skills and ensemble playing but more importantly, it is just plain fun! Egg shakers are recommended but a small DIY shaker works just as well.
For string orchestra, G Major, Duration: approx. 2 min.
This engaging piece for string orchestra is appropriate for any time of the year, but would be especially fun for a summer orchestra concert.
Arco Polo is the musical depiction of the well-known swimming- pool game “Marco Polo.” The piece begins tutti pizzicato, but then the instruments “call out” to each other using their bows. Students and audience members can listen for the following: The calling and answering (sections take turns), playful splashing (grace notes between letter C and letter D and also at the end), the annoyance of the violin sections when their calls are not answered (letter G), and the underwater response of the cellos and basses (near the end). This is a multi-level piece which makes it a practical choice for an orchestra which has students at varying skill levels. At its core, it is a level 1.5 piece and can stand alone as such, but with the addition of the advanced violin, viola, and cello parts it becomes even more challenging and fun. For yet another layer of fun, there is an optional improvisational section (between D and E) where students are randomly (perhaps secretly) selected to be the “caller” and the rest of the orchestra answers. As an extra surprise for the orchestra and audience as well, an audience member could be cued to literally call out to the orchestra.
Arco Polo is the musical depiction of the well-known swimming- pool game “Marco Polo.” The piece begins tutti pizzicato, but then the instruments “call out” to each other using their bows. Students and audience members can listen for the following: The calling and answering (sections take turns), playful splashing (grace notes between letter C and letter D and also at the end), the annoyance of the violin sections when their calls are not answered (letter G), and the underwater response of the cellos and basses (near the end). This is a multi-level piece which makes it a practical choice for an orchestra which has students at varying skill levels. At its core, it is a level 1.5 piece and can stand alone as such, but with the addition of the advanced violin, viola, and cello parts it becomes even more challenging and fun. For yet another layer of fun, there is an optional improvisational section (between D and E) where students are randomly (perhaps secretly) selected to be the “caller” and the rest of the orchestra answers. As an extra surprise for the orchestra and audience as well, an audience member could be cued to literally call out to the orchestra.
G Major
Why just learn how to tremolo when you can buzz like a bee?
The Picnic—Watch out for the B’s is a fun way for young orchestra students to demonstrate their bowing skills and would be a perfect addition to any spring orchestra concert. This piece is an excellent way to teach or reinforce playing tremolo and playing “sul ponticello.” The Picnic—Watch out for the B’s engages the students from the beginning as they tell the story of a picnic that gets interrupted by pesky bees. Its light and happy G Major picnic theme is soon interrupted by buzzing and every section gets a turn. The sound of bees is created when B naturals, C naturals, and C #s are thrown together with accented tremolos. The bees vary in their intensity and volume and travel all around the orchestra. They interrupt the melody several times and finally, the picnic- goers try to avoid the bees by tiptoeing around in a tutti pizzicato section. This works for a while until the swarm takes over the entire orchestra and the picnic-goers “run away” at the end. This would be an excellent choice for a combined piece for a large festival spring program which includes orchestras of many levels. (Just imagine the sound of the swarm when several orchestras are combined!) Beginners could also take part by “buzzing” on a B or C sharp when cued by the conductor. With its drama and fun, this piece is destined to be a student favorite and a definite crowd-pleaser.
The Picnic—Watch out for the B’s is a fun way for young orchestra students to demonstrate their bowing skills and would be a perfect addition to any spring orchestra concert. This piece is an excellent way to teach or reinforce playing tremolo and playing “sul ponticello.” The Picnic—Watch out for the B’s engages the students from the beginning as they tell the story of a picnic that gets interrupted by pesky bees. Its light and happy G Major picnic theme is soon interrupted by buzzing and every section gets a turn. The sound of bees is created when B naturals, C naturals, and C #s are thrown together with accented tremolos. The bees vary in their intensity and volume and travel all around the orchestra. They interrupt the melody several times and finally, the picnic- goers try to avoid the bees by tiptoeing around in a tutti pizzicato section. This works for a while until the swarm takes over the entire orchestra and the picnic-goers “run away” at the end. This would be an excellent choice for a combined piece for a large festival spring program which includes orchestras of many levels. (Just imagine the sound of the swarm when several orchestras are combined!) Beginners could also take part by “buzzing” on a B or C sharp when cued by the conductor. With its drama and fun, this piece is destined to be a student favorite and a definite crowd-pleaser.
This level one orchestra piece is a great selection for a beginning orchestra concert. The simple melody uses only the notes of the D Major scale. It begins with pizzicato raindrops and of course later has “barking” (accent notes) and “meowing” (gliscandi). Each section gets a chance to try both techniques and all sections get to play the melody. Perfect for your next spring concert!
Whole Bow Waltz is a fun way to teach orchestra students some much-needed bow management skills. In this level 1.5 piece in G Major, the waltz melody includes plenty of long notes so students learn to control bow speed and pressure. In addition, playing at the frog is encouraged in many measures so students can be in the right part of their bows when whole bows are needed. All sections get a turn to play the melody, and the students will enjoy listening for melodic variations as it moves from one section to another. The happy waltz melody becomes somewhat menacing and mysterious as B flats are introduced in one variation. For a fun challenge near the end of the piece, the students learn to play progressively longer notes together. This piece is sure to be a hit with students and audiences alike.
With its lyrical phrasing, lush harmonies, and its abundance of sustained notes, this level 2.5-3 piece for string orchestra provides many opportunities for young musicians to work on their expressive playing. The haunting melody travels from section to section and all musicians have a chance to play some or all it. During one phrase, the first violins play in 3rd position, and there are plenty of places where second violins and violas could be encouraged to play up in position to achieve a more expressive sound. There is some shifting also required in the cello and bass sections. Students will enjoy the chance to play harmonics at the octave and many sustained notes will give students an opportunity to work on vibrato as well as a beautiful sustained legato tone.
Hola, Violas is an excellent way to highlight the viola section in your orchestra. The words, “hola violas” provide the samba rhythm on which the piece is based. The piece is in E minor and its harmonies are based on the Spanish Andalusian chord progression often used in traditional Flamenco dances. The rhythms in this piece provide an excellent way to work on syncopation and bowing skills, and in addition, there is plenty of pizzicato to keep things lively and interesting.
If you would like to know more about “One Minute Warmups,” or if you would like to have me send you a sample of one of the 12 warmups, please contact me by email through this website.