Piece: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

Composer/Arranger: Ralph Vaughn Williams/Jamin Hoffman

Difficulty/Level: 4

Concert Benefits: The piece can be in introduction to modes because it is mostly in Phrygian. It

can also be benefital if students create their own fantasia based off of a theme they like and play

it or play with the theme from this piece and create a solo with it.

Technical Benefits: Balance and listening to each other and knowing where everyone’s part fits

into. Parts of the piece can get complicated and students will need to know others parts as well as

an odd

Piece: Lawrence of Arabia

Composer: Maurice Jarre/arr. Alfred Reed & Mark Rogers

Difficulty/Level: 3

Concert Benefits: The ensemble gets the chance to play movie music, however I doubt that any

student would have known the movie or would watch it. However it is still very atmospheric and

can be used as an example of program music. Students can even be asked to create a story or

draw what is happening in the music.

Technical Benefits: Fingerings on instruments would be challenged because of chromatic pitches

that do not fit into one single scale. Middle section of the piece is in a mixture of major and

minor. Will also need to focus on air control for musicality and phrasing.

Piece: Serenade for Stings (Finale)

Composer: Tchaikovsky/ Richard Meyer

Difficulty/Level: 3

Concert Benefits: One benefit is students will play an arrangement of beautiful strings piece with

changes in style and tempo. Another idea I have about this is having students play this in a dance

concert where dance students will perform and arrangement of the ballet to the music. I think it

would be cool to have concerts that collaborate with different performing arts and groups at the

school.

Technical Benefits: Technical focus is bow control. Phrases at times are long and bow changes

need to be quick and light in order not to break the over all phrase. There are also mixed

articulations such as staccatos, marcatios, and slurs.

Piece: Led Zeppelin on Tour

Composer/Arranger: arr. Patrick Roszell

Difficulty/Level: 3.5

Concert Benefits: Fun arrangement of pop. Music (Rock and Roll!) Band gets to play 5 of Led

Zeppelin’s most popular songs and can learn a little about rock history.

Technical Benefits: There are challenging rhythms in parts of the melody for example in the

Black Dog section as well as some over all rhythms through out the piece look difficult on paper

but once students hear them they should be easier.

Piece: Spiderman

Composer: Danny Elfman/arr. John Wasson

Difficulty/Level: 3.5

Concert Benefits: would be an excellent piece to play in a pops concert and combining the string

orchestra and concert band together to play this piece. There are several distinct sections through
out the piece and fully uses all sections of the ensemble. No real focus on just stings, brass,

woodwind, or percussion. Also it is always fun to play music from movies.

Technical Benefits: There are many quick passages for many students where they are playing

arpeggios and runs so it requires them to fully get comfortable with their instruments. The

texture is also dense and students will need to pay attention to the entire ensemble and know

where they fit for balance.

Reflection: This playlist was probably the most difficult for me to create because there was so
much music that I wanted to choose. I remember being a student and my favorite music to play
was pop music especially form movies so it was tempting to only pick music form my favorite
movies. I was also thinking after I picked Danny Elfman’s Spider-man, how many of my
students are going excited to play that. I asked by 14-year-old cousin if he saw the movie or
knows the music and he said no. So it might be good to run by some of the music I think is cool
with some of the students first. The same thing could be said with the Led Zeppelin piece. I was
also tempted to only put string pieces that is always a struggle for me but I actually found the
arrangements for band better then for strings. Picking for this list I wanted music that students
would challenge them as well as make them want to play. I now noticed that with this list of
pieces there are more opritunites for creativity for students such as writing stories or using
pictures or composing. I also really would like to have a concert that gets several of the arts
together to celebrate such as having dance, film, art, and music all together. Even if the school
has a modern rock ensemble have them play the Led Zeppelin piece with the band.