Strawberry Song for Junior Strings

This is a nostalgic little melody from my composition for children's string orchestra: A Very Berry Suite. It's a flexible piece in that both the viola and double bass parts are optional - the piece will work well with as small an ensemble as two violins and a cello. That being said, it will obviously sound better with violas and double basses!

Don't ask me why the strawberries are so sad... Maybe they just like melancholy tunes? It can't be because the song is too difficult, because this piece is pretty easy for anyone to play :)

Complete parts for Strawberry Song and the rest of A Very berry Suite are available at Sheet Music Plus: A Very Berry Suite for Junior Strings.
Listen to one of the other movements: Blueberry Blues.

Copyrighted arrangement: Firework

All the music I have published on this blog are either my arrangements of music in the public domain, or my own compositions. The reason being, of course, copyright.

But I recently discovered a way to publish my arrangements of copyrighted music, too: through SMP Press, the digital publishing program at Sheet Music Plus. They deal with the copyright holders, so that arrangers may publish copyrighted songs completely legally!

The first song I have published in this way is Firework by Katy Perry. It's not free, obviously (Katy  and the other people who created the original song need to be paid, of course) but the price is not too bad!   Check it out here: Firework by Katy Perry

(Screenshot from Sheet Music Plus)

This arrangement is for string quartet, but it will work well for string orchestra, too. The difficulty level is fairly easy, and all the parts get to have their time in the spotlight. You'll be surprised at how well this pop hit sounds on string instruments! 😊

Wedding March from Seljord

This traditional fiddle tune is still very much in use as a wedding march in Norway. But it works great as a festive concert piece as well!

Separate parts are available at Sheet Music Plus.

Air by Purcell

Henry Purcell (1659 - 1695) is often considered the creator of the English style of baroque music. I arranged his sweet Air in B minor for our junior orchestra.

Some of the parts are a bit technically demanding, and may work better for older students, although the Violin 2 / Viola and Cello 2 parts are quite easy to play. This would make a nice piece for an orchestra with players of varying ages and abilities.

Complete parts are available in this collection of baroque pieces at Sheet Music Plus: A Baroque Journey for String Orchestra.

Sonatina by Händel

More junior orchestra music from the baroque era! Georg Friedrich Händel probably needs no further intoduction. This is a flexible arrangement, in that it may be played with just the Violin 1 and the Cello 1 parts, who play in a sort of call-and-response pattern. The Violin 2 and Cello 2 parts are technically simpler, and the double bass part is basically the same as Cello 1.

Complete parts are available in this collection of baroque pieces at Sheet Music Plus: A Baroque Journey for String Orchestra

Enjoy! :)

Allegretto by Neefe

A wistful piece by the German 18th century composer Christian Gottlob Neefe, arranged for children's string orchestra. Neefe is probably best known as young Beethoven's first composition teacher, but he was a composer in his own right, as this sweet little piece shows.

 

Complete parts are available in this collection of baroque pieces at Sheet Music Plus: A Baroque Journey for String Orchestra

Komm, Lieber Mai - Mozart's May Song

It's May, and time for some spring music! This is a simple and flexible arrangement of Mozart's famous song.

You can use just the melody part (Violin 1 / Viola 1 / Cello 1) together with the slightly easier harmony part (Violin 2 / Viola 2 / Cello 2).  It may also be used as a duet for violin (or viola, or cello) and piano. The piano part is written for a young player of the same age as the rest of the orchestra.

Enjoy! :)