recommended by Eric Stratton and Megan W., Orchestra Specialists

Momentous by Brian Balmages, Grade 0.5-2
So many performance options and combinations! Equally suited as an opener or closer, this “Baroque-meets-contemporary” festival-style work has exceptional performance flexibility as a multi-level OR single-level work! Play it entirely as a grade 2 or play it as a grade 1. Additionally, both may be combined, and directors can add the grade ½ parts, which are based on open strings and limited first finger. Innovative and exciting!

Jingle Bells arr. Caryn Wiegand Niedhold, Grade 2.5
Here’s a bubbly multilevel arrangement of this seasonal favorite with a dollop of holiday tradition and a dash of contemporary rock. Middle-level students work on their spiccato skills and pass the melody from section to section, and beginners get to play a piece they know well with the big kids. This piece stands alone for Level 2.5 Orchestra, has the opportunity to include Level 1.5 students, and works wonderfully to feature beginning students. The optional drum set part kicks up the energy for a grand finale. Perfect for including your first-year students and a great way to brighten the holiday season.

Arco Polo by Ingrid Koller, Grade 1.5-3
This engaging piece for string orchestra is appropriate for any time of the year but would be especially fun for a summer orchestra concert. “Arco Polo” is the musical depiction of the well-known swimming-pool game “Marco Polo.” The piece begins with tutti pizzicato. Then the instruments “call out” to each other using their bows. Students and audience members can listen for the following: The calling and answering (sections take turns), playful splashing (grace notes), the annoyance of the violin sections when their calls are not answered, and the underwater response of the cellos and basses. This multi-level piece is a practical choice for an orchestra with students at varying skill levels. At its core, it is a level 1.5 piece and can stand alone as such, but with the addition of the advanced violin, viola, and cello parts, it becomes even more challenging and fun. There is an optional improvisational section where students are randomly (perhaps secretly) selected to be the “caller,” and the rest of the orchestra answers. An audience member could be cued to call out to the orchestra as an extra surprise.

Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!

About the Authors:
Eric Stratton is the Jazz Specialist at Stanton’s Sheet Music. From Westerville, OH, Eric received a Bachelor of Music in Classical Bass Performance and a Bachelor of Arts in Jazz Studies from Otterbein University. On both electric and double bass, he plays in various groups around Columbus, including New Albany Symphony and Westerville Symphony orchestras. He enjoys listening to and playing many types of music, from jazz, pop, to rock and metal. Some of Eric’s favorite performance opportunities are in the pit orchestras of musical theatre productions. When Eric isn’t gigging or at Stanton’s, he enjoys playing video games, hanging out with his cats, performing repair and tech work on guitars, and going to local restaurants and breweries with friends.

Megan W., originally from Pittsburgh PA, is happy to call Columbus and Stanton’s Sheet Music “Home.” As a musician, Megan has played in marching and concert bands, youth orchestras, full orchestras, small ensembles, and a few choirs. Her interests include fiddling, reading, writing, martial arts and yoga.