SKU: AP.12-057154309X

ISBN 9780571543090. English.

Picture a Day Like This is the fourth operatic collaboration between George Benjamin and Martin Crimp, whose acclaimed partnership produced Written on Skin, Lessons in Love and Violence, and Into the Little Hill. This limited edition of the full score is one of only 150, presented in a cloth-bound hard cover. It is signed by George Benjamin and Martin Crimp and includes facsimile reproductions of pages from the manuscript, sketches by Benjamin and Crimp, and a photograph of Benjamin, Crimp, and directors Daniel Jeanneteau and Marie-Christine Soma in rehearsal at the Aix-en-Provence Festival.

In this bittersweet fable of grief and renewal. Benjamin and Crimp tell the story of a woman who has lost her child: if, before nightfall, she meets one truly happy person and cuts a button from their sleeve, her child will live again. In her search she meets a pair of lovers, a composer and their assistant, an artisan, collector, and, in a beautiful garden, the mysterious Zabelle.

Benjamin proves with this taut, sharp miniature that he is the finest opera composer of today…a work of depth of feeling, humanistic artistry, and expressive rigor…a drama that is miraculously condensed.
-- Süddeutsche Zeitung (Reinhard J. Brembeck) 9 July 2023.

SKU: AP.49038

ISBN 9781470645526. UPC: 038081561196. English.

The 31st Day of Oktober, by Rob Grice, is intended to be a spooky musical journey through the early tale of Halloween. The ancient Celts believed that on this day spirits of the dead would cross over into the other world. Your beginning string players will ask to play this every day! It's hard to believe that six notes can be so effective and so scary! (2:05).

SKU: AP.38468S

UPC: 038081434629. English.

Jingle Bells has been transformed into a Viennese-style waltz and combined with We Wish You a Merry Christmas in this charming selection perfect for your second-year players' holiday concert. In the keys of D and G major, this light-hearted dance features every section of the orchestra and reinforces hooked bowings, eighth note runs, and a variety of triple-meter rhythmic patterns. A fun and educational way to challenge your students technically, while taking your orchestra to that next level of maturity.

SKU: AP.49930

ISBN 9781470662424. UPC: 038081579627. English.

Give your students a well-needed break from the chaos and noise of today's world with this gentle, introspective, hymn-like composition. Richard Meyer's A Quiet Peace uses suspensions, dissonances, and ninth and seventh chords, which lend a mature sound to the piece. The notes and ranges keep it well within reach of the young orchestra. An excellent way for your students to express sensitivity and grace while developing their emotive playing skills. (4:15) Correlates to Sound Innovations, Book 2, Level 2.

SKU: AP.46708S

UPC: 038081532820. English. Traditional.

Teaching opportunities abound in this fresh and creative arrangement of the carol We Three Kings. The piece depicts the kings' famous nocturnal trek across the desert and is a great way to introduce your students to low finger patterns (B-flats and E-flats), simple time-signature changes, and the concept of tone painting. Percussion parts have been added to enhance the mysterious mood. A real change of pace on your next holiday concert! This title is available in MakeMusic Cloud.

SKU: AP.48090S

UPC: 038081550947. English.

Pay tribute to your school with this imaginative musical portrait of the school day as viewed by typical students through the inspired genius of composer Richard Meyer. Six creative musical interludes portray the subjects of the school day (History, Math, English, Physical Education, Science, and Orchestra), each introduced with a short poem read by a narrator. The delightful poems were written by middle-school students and offer amusing and enlightening insights into their encounters with the wonders (and perils) of education. The subjects are linked together by brief and hectic musical passing periods based on the Promenade from Mussorgsky's famous Pictures at an Exhibition. Use the poems included or, for a wonderful writing prompt, have your students compose their own! School is the perfect piece for an assembly, a concert for the parents, or a recruiting tour. (8:50).

SKU: AP.44833S

ISBN 9781470664169. UPC: 038081518251. English.

A moving tribute by Susan Day to the people we admire---whether it be family members, role models, or those serving our country---this piece in E minor uses easy rhythms, pizzicato, some divisi in the cello part, and a few low 2nd fingers in the violin 1 part. All players get melody lines, and the violin 2 part doubles the viola. Sounds harder than it is! (2:30).

SKU: AP.48078

ISBN 9781470656911. UPC: 038081557632. English.

This title features Alfred Music's String Orchestra FLEX options. That means that every part in this set is now transposed into every other part, so you can play this title with any combination of like- or mixed-string ensemble. After purchasing this set, decide what additional parts you need to meet the unique needs of your ensemble, then download and print them for free at alfred.com/supplemental---free of charge.

Using the notes of the D major scale, Dizzy Digits by Richard Meyer was written to improve early readers' finger dexterity and note-reading skills. Your students are sure to rise to the challenge of this fun, perpetual-motion style selection that is great for concert or contest. Start slow and increase the tempo a bit each day and watch those digits start flying! A great motivator for year one and two string students! Correlated to String Explorer, Book 1, Unit 8. (2:00) This title is available in MakeMusic Cloud.