Greater Than...: String Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts

This work stands out for its thoughtful orchestration philosophy: the supplemental parts are engineered to enhance the intermediate version, not replace it, making every player feel essential to the final sound. It's rare to find a piece commissioned by a consortium specifically designed to celebrate inclusion through careful voicing choices. Directors get a legitimate pedagogical tool that simultaneously builds ensemble confidence and produces a genuinely gorgeous musical result.

Greater Than... unfolds with gentle lyricism, allowing younger players to experience sophisticated harmonic language without overwhelming technical demands. The orchestration feels spacious and inclusive, letting each student hear their contribution within the larger fabric of sound.

This is for string programs where teachers work with mixed-level students simultaneously. Use it when you have advanced beginners or early intermediate players alongside your main ensemble and want to create a unified concert experience that deepens both groups' engagement with beautiful music.

• Balance the parts carefully during rehearsal; since the supplemental lines are written to support, not double, make sure beginning students understand their supportive role and listen actively to the intermediate section.
• Perform the work only after secure rehearsals with both groups, as the piece requires rhythmic and tonal cohesion across multiple skill levels to achieve its intended effect.
• Let the lyrical character breathe through the ensemble; this is not about technical display but about unified musicianship and warm tone production across all sections.

Feature this at a festival or concert where mixed-level participation celebrates your program's breadth. It works beautifully as a finale to a concert featuring separate repertoire from your intermediate and beginning groups, bringing everyone together for a meaningful closing statement.

• Playing expressively with longer phrase lines
• Listening to and balancing against complementary parts at a different skill level
• Understanding how orchestration can include rather than exclude players
• Sustaining tone and intonation through gradual dynamic changes