Scaling Mount Pizzicato: String Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts

$42.00 USD

Scaling Mount Pizzicato: String Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts

Name: Scaling Mount Pizzicato: String Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 00-20711
Price: 42.00 USD
Availability: InStock

By Mark Williams

Grade: 1

Item: 00-20711

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Using only quarter notes and a one-octave D major scale, this fun piece depicts the "two steps forward, one step backwards" approach typical in mountain climbing. Utilizing both loud and soft pizzicato, students move up and down the various scale patterns, providing great practice in an enjoyable musical setting. This piece correlates with page 23 of Strictly Strings, Book 1, and can be performed as soon as students have mastered their basic one-octave D major fingerings. An excellent first concert selection.

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Scaling Mount Pizzicato: String Orchestra Conductor Score & Parts comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.

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Series: Highland/Etling Strictly Strings

Publisher: Alfred Music

Page Count: 72

UPC: 038081206219

SKU: 00-20711

More about this title

About the Composer: Mark Williams

Mark Williams built a career writing music that actually works in school settings. His 200-plus compositions for band, orchestra, and choir came from decades spent teaching elementary music in Washington state and guest conducting across North America and Australia. He co-authored the Accent on Achievement Band Method, bringing his classroom experience directly into pedagogical materials.

A accomplished musician in his own right, Williams performed bassoon with the 560th Air Force Band and later conducted the Spokane British Brass Band. His work earned recognition from the Western International Band Clinic's Gralia Competition and multiple ASCAP Special Awards, cementing his reputation as a composer who understood what teachers and young musicians needed.

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Why we love this

Mark Williams knew exactly when a piece could become a confidence builder rather than a slog. The pizzicato texture keeps the sound bright and engaging, while the rhythmic concept of two steps forward and one step back creates instant musical storytelling without requiring complex notation. This is the kind of first concert piece that reminds students why they wanted to play strings in the first place.

What to expect

Playful and determined at once. The pizzicato gives it a bouncy, almost humorous quality, but the ascending scale patterns carry genuine momentum, like watching climbers make their way uphill with periodic slips backward.

Who it's for

Conductors looking for a first concert piece that doesn't talk down to beginners. Students who have just solidified their D major fingerings benefit from the reinforcement, and a full string section can perform this together confidently after minimal rehearsal.

How to get the most out of it

Shape the climbs with dynamics. Even though you're using only quarter notes, the contrast between loud and soft pizzicato creates the illusion of effort and rest.
Keep the ensemble pizzicato synchronized. Precision in the attack matters more than usual when the entire texture depends on articulation.
Emphasize the downbeat of each new "climb" so the directional motion reads clearly to the audience.

How to use it

Open a young strings concert with this and set a tone of musical storytelling. The narrative concept of mountain climbing connects easily to younger audiences, and the piece's length and ease mean it won't tire either performers or listeners. It also works perfectly as a curriculum reinforcement tool midway through Book 1.