I'm A Little Teapot - ensemble playing for beginners

Need a nice piece of ensemble music that your very youngest beginners can join in on?

This arrangement is super easy! The first part (sun part) is a cute little British children's song called "I'm A Little Teapot":

Students who have played their instrument for a year or so should be able to play this without problems. If your group consists of complete beginners only, why not sing the first part instead of playing it?

The second part (moon part) is meant for those who have only just started putting fingers on the string - notes on the D string only, and mostly the same rhythm as the melody.

Then there is the third part (star part), which follows the same rhythm as the second part, but on open strings only.

In other words: This piece is super easy to play, and super easy to learn by ear! It's from a book called "First Lesson Orchestra", available on Sheet Music Plus. This book contains eleven pieces for ensemble playing with absolute beginners. Some of them are even easier than this one! And some have first parts that are a bit more challenging. The download contains parts for both cello and violin, which may be mixed as needed. It's also provided with chords for accompaniment. Check it out here!

 

PS: If you haven't seen Benedict Cumberbatch perform I'm A Little Teapot - 

well, you should, that's all I'm saying 😁

You're welcome!

Junior Suite 3: Blueberry Blues

This is the last of the three little pieces for junior strings that together form a "Junior Suite". The pieces have an optional viola part, and the double bass part may also be played by cellos (in this movement the double bass part is optional).

Edit: Blueberry Blues is now a part of a new and improved suite: A Very Berry Suite! Listen to it here: 

Listen to Pterodactyl Polka from The Dino Dances!

Another one of my Dino dances for junior strings:

This is the last movement, the Pterodactyl Polka! 😃


Download the whole suite, complete with score and parts, at Sheet Music Plus!

Listen to Tyrannosaurus Tango from The Dino Dances!

I've been having fun with iMovie recently, and here's one of the results:

 

This is of course one of the movements from my Dino Dances for children's string orchestra (see this blog post from 2012), and one of my most popular pieces ever! Hope you liked my little animation 😄

The Merry Folk from "A Fantasy Suite" for string quartet

The Merry Folk is the fifth movement from «A Fantasy Suite» , written for young string quartets.

«A Fantasy Suite» takes you on a journey through imaginary realms both dangerous and beautiful: past enchanted rivers and forests where elves sing and dance among the trees.

Inspired by folklore and fairytales as well as fantasy books, games and movies, this piece provides a fun challenge for young string players and adult ensembles alike. All of the players are allowed to shine, although the first violin part requires more position playing than the others.

Level: Easy/early intermediate. While the movements vary a bit in difficulty, The Merry Folk is fairly easy.

Movements:

1. The Path Ahead
2. The Enchanted River
3. Lost In The Nether
4. Rain In The Forest Of The Elves
5. The Merry Folk

The whole suite, complete with all parts, is available at Sheet Music Plus.

 Hear the second movement here: The Enchanted River.