Lost Puppy Comes Home: String Orchestra Conductor Score

$7.00 USD

Lost Puppy Comes Home: String Orchestra Conductor Score

Name: Lost Puppy Comes Home: String Orchestra Conductor Score
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 76-49431S
Price: 7.00 USD
Availability: InStock

By Loreta Fin

Grade: 1.5

Item: 76-49431S

$7.00

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One moment…

Lost Puppy is a 2011 composition by Loreta Fin with a melancholy mood. Students have often commented how sad the piece sounds. In this new work, after many years, the lost puppy is finally found. The piece commences in a minor mode, based on E, like the original work. The Lost Puppy theme is heard in the opening bars, but instead of the original 4/4-time signature, it is in triple time. Control and management of bow speeds is important here. It is also an opportunity for students to practise their developing vibrato skills. (2:30)

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Series: Wilfin String Orchestra: Young String Ensemble Series

Publisher: Alfred Music

ISBN10: 1-4706-7758-X

ISBN13: 978-1-4706-7758-9

UPC: 038081599717

SKU: 76-49431S

More about this title

About the Composer: Loreta Fin

Loreta Fin AM is an Australian violist, educator, and prolific composer who studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and served as Principal Viola with the Queensland Pops Orchestra for more than 25 years. Her career spans performance at the highest levels, she has appeared alongside world-renowned artists and orchestras, alongside deep roots in music education. Since 1993, she has directed strings at Somerville House School in Brisbane, shaped Australia's string education landscape through leadership roles with the Australian Strings Association (including State and National President positions), and become a sought-after adjudicator and conference presenter both domestically and internationally.

Fin's compositional output exceeds 100 works for string ensemble, published worldwide by Alfred Music, and reflects her intimate knowledge of what young string players need to grow. Her credentials include service as State Advisor for Strings with the Australian Music Examinations Board, regular conducting of Honours Ensembles Programs, and recognition through the National Award for Services to Music and String Teaching in Australia. In 2017, she released her Beginner String Ensemble Series to expand access to quality pedagogical repertoire.

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Why we love this

Fin creates a genuine narrative arc by reimagining her 2011 original work through a happy-ending lens. The shift from 4/4 to 3/4 time gives familiar material fresh urgency, and the deliberate focus on bow control and vibrato development means students are building technique within a piece that actually moves them emotionally rather than through disconnected exercises.

What to expect

The piece carries an undercurrent of longing in its minor tonality and melancholy phrasing, yet the triple-meter restatement of the opening theme introduces subtle forward momentum, like a gathering sense of hope. By the close, students should feel the resolution of a story they have helped tell through careful attention to tone production and expression.

Who it's for

String orchestras at the early-intermediate level (Grade 1.5) looking for repertoire that engages students emotionally while serving clear pedagogical goals. Directors who want to deepen vibrato technique and bow control without resorting to technical studies will find this piece does both organically.

How to get the most out of it

Pay particular attention to the opening presentation of the Lost Puppy theme. The reharmonization in triple time creates an unsettled quality that serves the reunion story; shape the phrasing to let students feel that emotional pivot from melancholy to hope.
Establish clear expectations for vibrato width and speed during rehearsal. Since vibrato development is a stated learning goal, consider having students practice the technique separately, then apply it mindfully to specific passages where it will enhance the emotional arc.
Balance the minor-key tonality (E-based) with dynamic choices that prevent the piece from feeling heavy or defeated. The minor mode reflects the search; the resolution should feel earned through thoughtful musical decisions rather than default to resignation.

How to use it

This works beautifully as a mid-concert narrative moment, especially when programmed alongside more upbeat works to create emotional variety. It also serves as an ideal teaching tool during a rehearsal block focused on bow technique and vibrato development, since the musical goals and pedagogical goals align so directly.