Sheet Music by Women Composers for String Orchestra: Artistic Excellence

Farewell to Cavendish, composed by Sarah Siegler, is a slow lyrical piece depicting the beautiful scenery of Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, and the feeling of leaving a place you really love. All se...

Island Rhythms, composed by Erica Donahoe, is meant to embody the easy feel of a day at the beach, happily soaking in the Caribbean sunshine! Caribbean music encompasses a large geographic area of ove...

Dusty Bridge Blues was inspired by the common experience every string player has after "Whoops!" putting too much rosin on the bow. Then, the rosin dust flies fast and furious during rehearsal and pil...

The Missing Hour is an energetic piece from start to finish, depicting the feeling of "chasing after time". Many people experience the challenging time changes of jet lag from a trip, or the "spring f...

Above Kitty Hawk depicts the history-making Wright Brothers' first flight, from the intense opening rhythms through the exhilarating finish! In 1903 the Wright Brothers built the powered "Wright Flyer...

The Christmas Tree Ship was inspired by the fascinating historical account of a ship called the Rouse Simmons, nicknamed "The Christmas Tree Ship". It sailed on Lake Michigan delivering Christmas tree...

Ordinary Courage is a quietly stunning work that celebrates the "ordinary courage" of everyday life. The courage it takes to wake up and go to school when you're not feeling well and take the test any...

Star Gazers Suite was inspired by an orchestra teacher, Julie Nolan, who was searching for multi-movement works to play with her first-year students. We had a great conversation about what that might...

Dark Magic is the perfect piece for a spooky fall concert. With simple rhythms and finger patterns, your beginning players can feel confident and sound great on this piece. Encourage your students to...

Short Ride in a Fast Sled is a fun winter concert piece written as a nod to John Adams' well-known "Short Ride in a Fast Machine". It presents a neat opportunity for directors to show Adams' famous wo...

The myth of the thunderstone has been part of many world cultures for thousands of years. What is a thunderstone? It is believed to be a stone forged by lightning, giving the stone mystical and magica...

Across the Crescent Moon evokes a velvet night and a moonlight sliver. The wisps of clouds float across, only to slip away into darkness. Impressionistic elements paint a picture of the secretive cres...

Medallion Hunt is a dark energetic work from the opening frenzy to the thrilling finish! The piece was inspired by an annual citywide contest to "search for the medallion and win the prize". It inspir...

Like some cities we know, Five O'Clock Jam stays both energized and energizing the whole time you're there! The piece begins with honking horns of cars and trucks jam-packed together in the rush hour...

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...

Intense drive, impulsive rhythms, and an unrelenting intensity make this a must for every grade 3 string orchestra. The piano is essential, everyone shares in melodic performance, and the exuberance o...

Experience a romantic night in Barcelona in this rhythmic workout. All players will need to subdivide for off-beat syncopation and triplets throughout the work, and all parts include shifting to upper...

Teachers will find this a fun and easy way to teach glissandi to your young players and prepare them for shifting. Pitch bends are also used, to mimic techniques in bluegrass fiddling. There is no wor...

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...

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 harmo...

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...

Intense drive, impulsive rhythms, and an unrelenting intensity make this a must for every grade 3 string orchestra. The piano is essential, everyone shares in melodic performance, and the exuberance o...

This charming dance features translucent harmony as only Chaminade can write. There are dramatic moments of rubato that will force your group to grow musically. There is a need for some skill in bowin...