Country Hoedown: Double Bass
By Soon Hee Newbold
Grade: 2
Item: 98-PC-DST6253_SB
$7.00
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Description
Knee slappin' and stompin' fun! Immerse yourself in a wagon hayride, square dancing, and even a good old-fashioned barn raising. With open stringed double stops, integration of melody in all voices and some interactive rhythms based on clapping and stomping, players will want to yell out a few "Yee-haws" as they get into the action!
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Country Hoedown: Double Bass comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.
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Additional Details
Series:
FJH Developing Strings
Publisher:
The FJH Music Company, Inc.
SKU:
98-PC-DST6253_SB
More about this title
About the Composer: Soon Hee Newbold
Soon Hee Newbold draws inspiration from world cultures and personal travel experiences to create music that speaks across ensemble levels and performance venues. Her compositional voice has been heard at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and stages throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. She began her own musical training at five on piano and took up violin at seven, eventually performing as a concert artist in professional ensembles before focusing her career on composition and conducting.
Newbold's work reaches everyone from beginning elementary students to professional symphonies, and her skill at meeting groups where they are has made her a sought-after guest clinician and keynote speaker. Beyond concert music, she has composed for film and recording projects in Hollywood, bringing the same cultural awareness and accessibility to her multimedia work. Her conducting and collaborative experiences across multiple countries inform how she writes for young musicians.
Why we love this
Newbold captures the infectious energy of folk traditions while keeping the writing entirely playable for developing orchestras. The integration of melody across all voices means no section gets left out of the fun, and the rhythmic interplay between clapping, stomping, and bowed passages creates real ensemble engagement without requiring advanced technique.
What to expect
Country Hoedown captures the exuberance of a barn dance without apology. Stomping feet, clapping hands, open string drones, and energetic melodies collide to create something that feels less like a concert hall performance and more like an invitation to join in. Your students will feel the collective energy the moment the first double stops enter.
Who it's for
String orchestras in grades 2-3 looking for high-energy repertoire that celebrates folk traditions and encourages physical engagement with the music. Directors want pieces that build confidence in developing violinists and violists while keeping rehearsals fun and collaborative.
How to get the most out of it
- Lean into the open string double stops as character moments. They won't sound polished, and they shouldn't. That rustic, slightly raw quality is part of the authenticity.
- Coordinate the clapping and stomping cues before running the piece. Decide together whether these come from specific stands or the whole orchestra, and mark the exact beats clearly in every part.
- Keep the tempo moving forward without rushing. Young players often drag when they're thinking about rhythmic accuracy, so a steady conductor beat and clear pulse from the rhythm section will anchor everyone.
- Balance the melodic voices so the tune stays audible even when multiple sections carry it. This prevents the piece from becoming a blur of activity.
How to use it
This works beautifully as a concert closer or a springtime/end-of-year celebration. Pair it with other folk-inspired pieces to build a thematic program around American traditions, or use it as a palate cleanser after more lyrical repertoire to remind audiences that young orchestras can be wildly entertaining.
Skills your students will build
- Playing open string double stops in rhythm
- Integrating melody reading across multiple voices
- Coordinating rhythmic ensemble cues (clapping and stomping)
- Sustaining energy and forward motion in folk-style phrasing
- Balancing individual voice lines within a full orchestral texture