LudwigMasters Beginning Strings

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...

The sight of all those bows dancing in rhythm across the strings is an inspiring sight to most young string orchestra audiences. The tasteful writing of Ed Siennicki will give your group plenty of pra...

Los Caballos de Andalucia (The Horses of Andalusia) by R. Anne Svendsen is a rhythmic Spanish-flavored piece in 3/4 time that would suit middle school level players. The key is E minor with the notati...

The title is truth in advertising: this is about learning to cross strings as well as skipping fingers and developing proper hand position and finger independence. Some enjoyable knocking and other so...

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...

With a sprinkle of childhood imagination and a sweep of all-grown-up ensemble sonority, students will love playing Tree Top Dreams by Caryn Wiegand Neidhold. Playable at the first-semester concert, ea...

Two sets of string parts make this work accessible to first- and second-year students. There are even two piano parts, one for rehearsal and one for performance, as well as some light percussion.

The title is truth in advertising: this is about learning to cross strings as well as skipping fingers and developing proper hand position and finger independence. Some enjoyable knocking and other so...

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...

Island of Stars is a captivating early ensemble experience for your young orchestra. The students feel supported yet part of an orchestra experience with music written in two and three parts. The midd...

With a sprinkle of childhood imagination and a sweep of all-grown-up ensemble sonority, students will love playing Tree Top Dreams by Caryn Wiegand Neidhold. Playable at the first-semester concert, ea...

A light and cheerful arrangement in D Major where all sections get the melody. Your bass section will venture briefly into 4th position for their turn at the tune. Everyone else will remain in 1st pos...

This unique arrangement has a haunting melody in the D pentatonic scale, which is passed to all sections. The basses will briefly venture to 4th position for their statement of the tune and fingerings...

An absolute Chinese treasure from the pen of Albert Wang, this very simple tune has nothing more complicated than eighth and quarter notes. The theme is passed throughout the orchestra and remains in...

Shiver me timbers, matey! What a terrific training work for the young string orchestra with its syncopation and carefully marked bowings and fingerings. And wouldn't you, the conductor, cut a swashbuc...

This arrangement of Mouret's famous work is set up like a Baroque concerto grosso, allowing you to feature soloists at an early grade level. Minimal hooked bowings, slurs on adjacent notes, and some l...

This arrangement, in D Major, is based on an 18th-century dance tune. Each section gets pieces of the theme. Teaching points include string crossings, changing to pizzicato from arco and back, and cou...

With the fun addition of "woofs" and percussion to spell out B-I-N-G-O, this arrangement strengthens the counting and note reading skills of your beginning ensemble.

An absolute Chinese treasure from the pen of Albert Wang, this very simple tune has nothing more complicated than eighth and quarter notes. The theme is passed throughout the orchestra and remains in...

Shiver me timbers, matey! What a terrific training work for the young string orchestra with its syncopation and carefully marked bowings and fingerings. And wouldn't you, the conductor, cut a swashbuc...

An E minor driving rock beat and two sets of parts will allow you to combine absolute beginners and second year students with great success. The easier parts are all high 2s, simple rhythms, and use l...

This arrangement of Mouret's famous work is set up like a Baroque concerto grosso, allowing you to feature soloists at an early grade level. Minimal hooked bowings, slurs on adjacent notes, and some l...

A light and cheerful arrangement in D Major where all sections get the melody. Your bass section will venture briefly into 4th position for their turn at the tune. Everyone else will remain in 1st pos...

This arrangement, in D Major, is based on an 18th-century dance tune. Each section gets pieces of the theme. Teaching points include string crossings, changing to pizzicato from arco and back, and cou...

With the fun addition of "woofs" and percussion to spell out B-I-N-G-O, this arrangement strengthens the counting and note reading skills of your beginning ensemble.