LudwigMasters Beginning Strings

Bring a bit of international flavor to your programs with this setting of an authentic folksong from the Shanxi province of China. You'll provide a real slice of Chinese culture by presenting this mel...

At last, now there is a multi-movement symphony written for the youngest of musicians! Your students can get a taste of the concert hall with this tuneful and whimsical opus, and the subtitles for eac...

At last a version of Offenbach's much beloved dance that younger players can handle! Rehearsal Piano and Violin 3 (for Viola) parts provide valuable assistance for the youngest of ensembles. This is g...

This arrangement of the Hawaiian folk song Kahuli Aku will evoke the imagery and vibrancy of the "singing snails" (kahuli) depicted in the song lyric. Young musicians and their audience will sense a d...

Les Matadors represents an English country dance from Ignatius Sancho's "Minuets Cotillons & Country Dances for the Violin, Mandolin, German Flute, & Harpsichord", published in 1775. Sancho's original...

Shake, Shake, Shake is a delightful level 1 string orchestra piece by Ingrid Koller that will keep everyone on their toes! Every section gets a turn to play the simple D major melody, and everyone get...

Audiences will tap their toes and sing along to This Land Is Your Land by Woody Guthrie as Ethen Epple's level 1 arrangement conceptually covers: staccato, pizzicato, detaché, syncopation, and a key c...

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 swimmi...

Race to the Fortress captures the high-energy spirit of impending danger within a fantasy world. A scout on horseback hurries to warn his commander. A mother, carrying her children, rushes toward safe...

Ominous and foreboding in character, this piece was written to provide students with an engaging introduction to a variety of eighth-note rhythmic patterns. Unlike much of the repertoire written for b...

Countdown is the musical embodiment of anticipation - an eerie sense that something is approaching, and it's probably not good. Through suspenseful techniques like tonic drones and accompaniments emph...

Hollow Crypt is an eerie and imaginative piece that thrives on musical tension, using leading tones and minor seconds to conjure an unmistakably spooky atmosphere. Ideal for beginning orchestra studen...

End your first year with three American folk songs about water, each of which is passed around the orchestra. Learning opportunities abound, both with the bow and pizzicato. There are some easy double...

Watch the sun set from your veranda with this relaxed Latin waltz. It's a good opportunity for upper strings to use both high and low 2nd fingerings. Your orchestra will learn to count tied notes and...

Whole Bow Waltz by Ingrid Koller 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...

Whole Bow Waltz by Ingrid Koller 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...

Drum set is featured with your orchestra in this e minor modal rock tune. Quarter and eighth notes are the rhythmic foundation with plenty of rests to make counting interesting.

Queen's Quest depicts an intense chase through the kingdom as our titular queen seeks to help her citizens in times of trouble! Your students will love playing the intense staccato rhythms and the pow...

No bows required! This unison pizzicato piece for beginning strings and piano is perfect for the very first concert. Using only quarter rests and quarter notes of the D major scale, the upbeat tune gi...

End your first year with three American folk songs about water, each of which is passed around the orchestra. Learning opportunities abound, both with the bow and pizzicato. There are some easy double...

This is the perfect introduction to folk song for the young string orchestra. A rehearsal piano and optional third violin part afford the ultimate in support and flexibility.

Two-note slurs and dotted quarter note rhythms are introduced to your first year orchestra in this delightful rondo. Basses will use half position while the notes of the D major scale are reinforced....

With or without catnip, the image of a cat dancing to its own private music is intriguing and beguiling. Half positions, left-hand pizzicato, and interesting turns of melody make this the perfect choi...

Two-note slurs and dotted quarter note rhythms are introduced to your first year orchestra in this delightful rondo. Basses will use half position while the notes of the D major scale are reinforced....

With or without catnip, the image of a cat dancing to its own private music is intriguing and beguiling. Half positions, left-hand pizzicato, and interesting turns of melody make this the perfect choi...