Hedgehog, Monkey and Waffles!: Piano Accompaniment

Michael Story's arrangement captures the infectious energy of Gripp's viral hits while respecting the capabilities of young string players. Three songs in one work give you immediate programming versatility: a full suite perfect for a spring concert, or individual pieces for different performance contexts. The genuine humor and contemporary relevance will actually engage your students because they recognize the material from their own digital world.

Bright, silly, and surprisingly joyful. These three songs thrive on their melodic stickiness and obvious good humor. Hedgehog delivers rollicking fun, Baby Monkey (Riding Backwards on a Pig) leans into the absurdist charm that made it famous, and Do You Like Waffles? wraps everything in infectious optimism. The whole suite bounces with youthful energy and tongue-in-cheek wit.

String orchestra directors working with Grade 2.5 ensembles who want contemporary, engaging music that connects with students' lived experience. This suite appeals equally to programs seeking concert repertoire with humor and accessibility, and to directors building confidence in intermediate players through material they actually want to perform.

• Nail the rhythmic precision in each song's hook. These melodies stick because of their exact rhythmic shape, so lock the ensemble's articulation and note placement before worrying about dynamics.
• Balance playfulness with clarity. The pieces are fun, but sloppy ensemble work will undermine the comedy. Crisp cues and clean attacks matter just as much here as in any other repertoire.
• Use the conductor score to track where each song's melodic material moves between violin sections. The arrangement distributes the catchy hooks strategically, so make sure everyone knows when their line carries the tune.
• Pay attention to the transitions between the three pieces. Story likely crafted smooth connective moments, so rehearse the full suite from top to bottom to lock the flow and energy shift between songs.

Open a spring or light concert with this suite to set an upbeat tone and immediately connect with your audience through recognizable material. Alternatively, use individual songs as encores or as standalone pieces for shorter performance slots. This also works beautifully as a pops program centerpiece, especially in schools where string students might need encouragement to see orchestral playing as relevant to contemporary culture.

• Maintaining steady rhythmic pulse across contrasting sections
• Executing articulation changes (staccato, legato, accented attacks) with ensemble clarity
• Reading and performing melodic material distributed across different voice parts
• Managing dynamics and balance when the primary melody shifts between sections
• Sustaining intonation and tone quality at varying tempos and energy levels