Perseverance is a piece I used for very beginning music students.
There is a funky, rock feel to the drum beat that the students like.
Beginning strings can be incorporated into the piece, which makes it good for full ensembles.
Piano Part for Perseverance
Jeannine is a mixed ensemble piece that can be fun for beginning students.It utilizes a lot of synchopation, dynamics and articulation. It opens in the 12-bar blues form, which can create an avenue for music history discussion. It features both strings and band instruments, which is rare for a beginner's piece. There is some basic call-and-response in the middle section of the piece. Jeannine
Mr. Rockhound is written for beginning piano, but it can easily be arranged for early string players. The opening dotted half note should start up-bow and crescendo into the eighth-notes, if played by strings. Mr. Rockhound
Old Songs, New Beats
I like to combine familiar classical tunes, with new beats.
The following are two examples from the New World Symphony.
Trumpet Theme from the Fourth Movement
Melody from the Second Movement
Here's an attempt to put a new beat with Gershwin's classic Summertime:
Summertime
Here is a piece called Egyptian Dance in Essential Elements, which is also known as Bacchanale
in the classical world. It is nice with a mix of violins, drums and woodwinds
Egyptian Dance
Walking In The Forrest is another piece that I use for beginning band students. It can be used
to teach basic reading skills. You can also use the piece to talk about "descriptive" music.
The title describes a scene in the children's book Mufarro's Daughters, when a young girl
is walking through a forrest late at night. There is meditative drum beat that goes with the piece.
Clarinet Part for Walking In The Forrest