Halloween Music for String Orchestra

This spooky piece for beginning string orchestra uses just five notes! Explore the haunted shadows of a creepy carnival while introducing easy 3/4 time to your students. The celesta part adds a chilling

Students will love the contemporary style as they explore a variety of articulations, dotted rhythms, and offbeat eighth notes. Every section gets a turn at playing the melody, with special interest in the

This dark and shadowy waltz elegantly weaves a spell in D minor, dancing through a twisted web of accidentals as it shifts and changes to E minor. Players get to work on extended and low-one finger

This familiar sneaky theme was originally composed for solo piano by French composer Charles Gounod in 1872 as a bit of a joke about a particular music critic. The mysterious and foreboding motif has since

The music is falling apart! Or is it? This creepy-crawly composition starts deep underground in the cello and bass sections with an ominous theme, soon joined by the creaking, scratching, and screeching of

This dark and mysterious work evokes the mysteries of the deep as the ethereal scoring takes the listener into the deep, dark areas of the ocean. The optional celesta adds the magical sparkling quality of

This haunting arrangement of the ghostly English folk song weaves together elements of suspense, tension, and mystery using layered effects, including harmonics, sul ponticello, tremolo, and glissando to

A fun and short programmatic composition for beginning players: An isolated dark tower stands deep in the woods. A knight rescues a princess from the dungeon of an evil dragon. Now the two must escape from

Step into the eerie world of the graveyard shift that invites you to dance with the shadows and embrace the supernatural. This piece offers an opportunity to learn shifting techniques while incorporating

Inspired by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, this eclectic work delves into the mind of a character who has been forever trapped in time and has lost a grip on reality after

A challenging and engaging programmatic work for advancing orchestras. Shapeshifting – the ability to change one's physical form – is a perfect analogy for what is required from your student

Energetic from start to finish, this piece depicts the feeling of chasing after time. It begins with a mysterious melody that asks, "Where did that hour go?" A repeated ostinato pattern offers an excellent

Wonderfully spooky! It's the haunting tale of the headless horseman. It starts very slow and dark, depicting the ominous night and the deep forest, before taking off to a gallop as the horseman gives chase.

Add some mystery to your next performance with this highly dramatic and accessible tune set in A minor. This one keeps all sections engaged with its driving rhythms and intense mood and is sure to enthrall

This original composition for beginning orchestra uses only quarter, half, and whole notes and only pitches on the D and A strings (except for open E for basses and first violins) to take your young string