How Will I Know: String Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts

This arrangement captures the propulsive energy that made the original a cultural phenomenon without oversimplifying the parts. Larry Moore's orchestration respects what makes this song work as a pop track while giving string players enough textural variety and rhythmic interest to stay engaged throughout.

Buoyant and modern, with that unmistakable 1980s pop sensibility. The arrangement keeps the danceability of the original while giving strings the chance to drive the rhythm forward through carefully voiced syncopation.

Grade 3-4 string orchestras with solid fundamentals in rhythmic reading and basic style awareness. This works especially well for programs looking to program contemporary material alongside traditional repertoire or for ensembles building confidence with syncopated figures.

• Lock the syncopated figures in the viola and cello parts first. These provide the harmonic foundation that drives the groove; once they sit solidly, the violin lines will land with much cleaner articulation.
• Shape the melody with dynamic swells rather than constant forte. The infectious quality comes from the push and pull of the phrasing, not from playing loud throughout.
• Balance the rhythm section across all four parts. String orchestras can easily let the violins dominate; bring out the inner voices so the syncopation reads clearly to listeners.

Schedule this as an opener or closer on a concert where you want to signal that your program includes contemporary music. The two minute fifteen second duration makes it ideal for a mixed concert format, and audiences respond immediately to a song they recognize.

• Syncopated rhythmic figures across multiple voice parts
• Style and articulation in pop and rock idioms
• Dynamic shaping and phrase direction in contemporary contexts
• Balance and voice leading when multiple parts carry melodic and rhythmic material simultaneously