ORCHESTRA MUSIC
NEW FOR 2023
She Had Me At Heads Carolina - easy/grade 2 - From the top of the country charts, Cole Swindell's hit single She Had Me at Heads Carolina pays tribute to singer and songwriter Jo Dee Messina and her debut single from 1996, "Heads Carolina, Tails California." With melodies that get passed throughout the ensemble, arranger Michael Kamuf has crafted the perfect vehicle that will engage both your students and audience. This one is FUN!
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To The Moon and Back - easy/grade 2 - Beautiful melodies and rich harmonies make To the Moon and Back an excellent lyrical work for your young string orchestra. All sections will shine as melodic material is passed through the ensemble in this highly expressive piece by composer Michael Kamuf. An outstanding choice for concert and festival performances!
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Tomorrow - easy/grade 2 - Bring one of the all-time greatest Broadway melodies to your students and audience! This setting of Tomorrow, arranged by Michael Kamuf, captures the power and hope of the anthem from Annie. Drumset and percussion add to the drive and color of this arrangement which is sure to become a favorite.
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Orchestra Titles
7 Rings - medium easy/grade 3 - With eight weeks at number one on Billboard's Hot 100, this Ariana Grande hit from her groundbreaking fifth album, Thank U, Next, combines elements of rap and pop music as well as the Sound of Music classic, "My Favorite Things." Written for strings, drums, and optional piano, this arrangement of 7 Rings by Michael Kamuf explores many textures of the orchestra and will be a favorite of both your students and audiences!
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Beauteous Spirit - easy/grade 1.5 - 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 rich composition. This piece is dedicated to the memory of Bebe, a gentle and sweet rabbit, who spent several years in a shelter before being rescued by the composer's family. To learn more about Bebe's story, please visit the "Beauteous Spirit" page on this website.
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Blinding Lights - easy/grade 2.5 - Canadian singer The Weeknd's hit "Blinding Lights" rose to number one on the charts in 34 countries including the U.S. and Canada. Taken from his fourth album After Hours and performed at the 2021 Super Bowl, the singer combines elements of pop music along with the synth-pop era of the 1980s. This piece is the perfect vehicle to reinforce syncopation while having fun! Arranged by Michael Kamuf, the infectious groove will make this a favorite of students and audience alike!
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JW Pepper Editor's Choice
Chasing Shadows - easy/grade 2.5 - Chasing Shadows by Michael Kamuf features soaring melodies, driving rhythms, and bold harmonies which work together to create cinematic overtones. The use of syncopated rhythms throughout will help reinforce your orchestra's understanding of subdivision. A perfect selection for concerts and festivals that both students and audiences will enjoy!
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Dance Monkey (Tones & I) medium easy/grade 3 - Australian singer Tones & I's breakout single reached number one on the charts in thirty countries. This arrangement of Dance Monkey by Michael Kamuf is the perfect vehicle to reinforce syncopation while having fun! The infectious groove will make this a favorite of students and audience alike! This title is available in SmartMusic.
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Danza Estate (Summer Dance) - easy/grade 2 -This is an original work for string orchestra employing the lydian mode for the “A” them. Your students and audiences will enjoy the soaring melodies, varied textures and driving rhythms.
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Dayspring - easy/grade 1.5 - Perfect for concerts and festivals, Dayspring is an ideal piece for reinforcing both dotted-quarter/eighth note and syncopation rhythms with your beginning string orchestra. In this driving new work, the lyrical melodies and driving motifs are passed around the entire ensemble and are supported by rich harmonies.
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Eventide - easy/grade 2 - This piece provides a wonderful opportunity to teach phrasing, balance, and dynamics to your developing string orchestra. The beautiful melody is passed throughout the orchestra while other sections provide rich harmonic accompaniment. A perfect selection for contests or festivals, it will inspire students to express themselves musically. (Correlates with Sound Innovations for String Orchestra, Book 2, level 2).
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Glorious Sight - Very Easy/grade 1 - This piece is a harmonically rich setting of the Christmas Carol “O Come, Little Children”. All instruments get a chance to play the melody and the textures change between melody statements. A musically solid holiday selection for string orchestras at the grade 1 level!
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Grand Pursuit - easy/grade 2 - Written to reinforce dotted quarter/eighth note patterns, Grand Pursuit by Michael Kamuf features contrasting melodies, bold harmonies, and a fun, groove-oriented development section that combine to create a piece both your students and audiences will enjoy.
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Great Beginnings - very easy/grade 1 - This energetic composition makes the perfect opener or closer for your beginning or young string orchestra.a By employing soaring melodies, rich harmonies, and driving rhythms, composer Michael Kamuf gives all instruments an opportunity to play melodic material. This is an outstanding selection to reinforce accents and slurs with your students!
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L'Improviste Vignette - easy/grade 2 - "L'improviste Vignette" is a bold and energetic work for young string orchestra by composer and educator Michael Kamuf. The interesting melodic and accompaniment passages will keep all players engaged. Using flowing melodies with strong harmonies and bold rhythmic figures, this piece works perfectly as an opening or closing selection for concerts and festival performances.
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JW Pepper Editor's Choice
Midnight Adventure - easy/grade 2 - This contemporary work paints a musical picture of a late night outdoor escapade using flowing melodies soaring over rich harmonies and driving rhythmic figures. Melodies are passed around the ensemble. Perfect as an opening or closing selection and an ideal choice for festivals! Correlates to Alfred's Sound Innovations Book 2 level 2.
JW Pepper Editor’s Choice
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Moonlight Shadows - easy/grade 1.5 - Set in E minor, this original work is orchestrated to allow all sections a chance to play one of the three themes and has an optional solos for violin 1 and cello. The perfect piece for young ensembles to work on balance and dynamics. My students LOVED this piece!
JW Pepper Editor’s Choice
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Nighthawk - easy/grade 1.5 - This original work for string orchestra is suited for middle school students. Using contrasting themes, this piece utilizes suspended, 7th and 9th chords in a VERY playable setting for young string students. The initial and final statements of the A theme can be played as a violin solo or and Violin 1 section soli. My middle school students LOVED playing this piece!
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Passeggiata - easy/grade 2 - In Italy, a passeggiata is a leisurely walk taken in the late afternoon or early evening and is a time when neighbors and villagers interact with one another. This lyrical work is inspired by this tradition.
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Rainbow In A Cloud - medium easy/grade 3 - A powerful and lyrical work, "Rainbow in a Cloud" features both expressive solo opportunities for cello and trumpet (cross-cued in Violin1). This piece works for full orchestra, strings and percussion or strings, percussion and any combination of winds. Commissioned in memory of the late Barbara Lashof by the Walter Johnson High School Orchestra, Bethesda, Maryland, Christopher Kosmaceski, Director.
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Realms of Endless Day - Easy/grade 2.5 - FOR FULL OR STRING ORCH - Realms of Endless Day is a fantasy setting of the hymn tune melody, "Picardy." This melody, thought to have been named for the region in France where it is believed the melody originated, is also the melody for the hymns "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" and "Christians, Let Us Love One Another " as well the "Hymn of Saint James." This enduring and tuneful melody is given three contrasting statements that gradually build to an exciting conclusion. This piece is scored for full orchestra but will work quite effectively with strings alone.
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Rise Above! - easy/grade 2.5 - After a majestic introduction, the tempo picks up and the ensemble settles into a groove in 6 (written as 4 +2). Soaring melodies and driving rhythms abound in this new work that is perfect for concerts and festivals.
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Sans Day Carol (The Holly Bears A Berry)- very easy/grade 1.5 - This beautiful setting for beginning string students offers an opportunity to work on expressive playing with limited technical demands. The melody is passed around the ensemble and includes optional percussion parts. This arrangement is fitting for both holiday and festival performances.
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Sleigh Song - easy/grade 1.5 - Based on the Hungarian Folk Song “The Handsome Butcher”, this melody has been transformed into the perfect setting for your next winter or holiday concert. All sections play the melody and optional percussion parts can be performed easily by string students.
JW Pepper Editor’s Choice
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Wayfaring Stranger - easy/grade 2 - The American folk song Wayfaring Stranger has been given a fresh treatment by educator and arranger Michael Kamuf. In this setting, all instruments get a chance to play the melody while varying accompaniments create different moods and textures. This is the perfect vehicle to teach expressive playing and will make a great addition to any concert or festival program.
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JW Pepper Editor's Choice