Youth String Orchestra

Using the first few notes presented in most beginning string methods and no eighth notes, this original piece will make your beginning ensemble sound very advanced. Solid scoring and doubling througho...

Using the first few notes presented in most beginning string methods and no eighth notes, this original piece will make your beginning ensemble sound very advanced. Solid scoring and doubling througho...

The Maya kingdom was a rich and amazing culture with very advanced artistic skills. This composition embraces the rich tradition of the Maya in a very playable and artistic form, and is written in a w...

This high intensity Spanish-flavored composition, 'Fandango Festival,' by Victor López will make your young strings sound like experienced musicians. Featuring percussion and a variety of dynamics and...

This piece is a vibrant composition that will make your developing string orchestra sound mature. The accented quarter notes provide a great opportunity to teach the marcato bow stroke to all sections...

The perfect level for very young players, this arrangement is designed to sound great at almost any tempo. Enjoy! (2:00)

Used by the composer himself each fall at his recruiting concerts, Guest Soloist is a fun, interactive piece that spotlights a volunteer from the audience playing a two-string violin (or any instrumen...

Your students' imaginations will run wild as they rehearse and perform this charming Spanish-flavored salute to cats. Glissando 'meows,' threatening 'hisses,' and even an enthusiastic visit from a dog...

Your orchestra will have a blast working on this fun selection that introduces the time periods of music and the playing styles that go with them. As students climb aboard the time machine, they will...

This work features all of your school district's string orchestras at once and was written to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Freeport, Illinois orchestra program. The piece combines elementary...

As the title suggests, this nod to the fleet-footed dance of the 1800s, 'The Polka Dot Polka,' is all about dots---dots over, under, and after notes! Written as an etude to enhance your young orchestr...

Fanfare and Celebration was composed in 2000 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Michigan ASTA Junior High String Camp, founded by Elizabeth Green in 1970. The piece is set in D major and conta...

Avalanche is an expressive and energetic original composition for beginning orchestra that is also a wonderful teaching piece for bow distribution, lifts, retakes, and string crossing. The 'avalanche'...

This energetic and interesting composition uses the C major/A minor fingering patterns and provides great practice in subdivision. It is a fun one to play and includes a solo/section violin feature an...

Think snow! Here's a great winter concert tune when you are looking for something new! The melody comes from a Hungarian folk song. All sections play the melody! (2:10)

This original work in E minor is delightfully set to allow each section to play the melodies and includes a solo section. Ending with the softness of moonlight, this one will develop ensemble performa...

A bright, sparkling setting of 'O, Come Little Children,' arranged by Michael Kamuf, that will delight audiences and players; this arrangement will become a classic. Includes optional sleigh bells. (1...

Perfect for concerts and festivals, 'Dayspring' by Michael Kamuf is an ideal piece for reinforcing both dotted-quarter/eighth note and syncopation rhythms with your beginning string orchestra. In this...

A stunning lyrical work, this is the perfect selection to introduce expressive playing to your beginning string students. All students have an opportunity to play melodic material in this harmonically...

The excitement and exhilaration of the first moments of flight are brought to life for beginning strings by composer Michael Kamuf. Climbing Above the Clouds is in D major, allows for all parts to hav...

In the style of moto perpetuo. Enjoyable and well written for elementary school level. Simple ideas that are fun to play.

The rhythms used in this piece are repetitive, so will be easily learned and recognized in the future. The feel of a canon is utilized in each four-bar phrase and the melody is shared right around the...

This piece features pretty melodies, using slurs and dotted rhythms, while teaching bow division between half notes and quarter notes. The music is not difficult, but students should be encouraged to...

For the past 15 years, Junior and Training Strings at Somerville House School rehearse on a Wednesday morning. Hence, the name. This piece features string crossing and block rhythms with nice harmonie...