The Ghost of John: String Orchestra Conductor Score

$6.00 USD

The Ghost of John: String Orchestra Conductor Score

Name: The Ghost of John: String Orchestra Conductor Score
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 00-4327S
Price: 6.00 USD
Availability: OutOfStock

Arr. Susan C. Brown

Grade: 2

Item: 00-4327S

$6.00

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This excellent arrangement by Susan Brown is written in theme and variations format. It includes "warm-up" exercises and beginner string parts (also included in the score). Piano and percussion parts enhance the piece greatly, but are not essential. Ultra-flexible scoring makes this piece a great combined festival number. The special effects lend vivid programmatic impressions which keep your group alert and entertained while they learn about different styles, meters, bowings and keys (G and D). Fun for all! This title is available in MakeMusic Cloud.

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Series: Highland/Etling String Orchestra

Publisher: Alfred Music

Page Count: 12

UPC: 038081095127

SKU: 00-4327S

More about this title

Why we love this

Susan Brown's arrangement transforms a traditional tune into a pedagogically rich exploration of style and technique without sacrificing the joy of playing together. The theme and variations framework gives young orchestras a coherent structure to understand how composers develop material, and the flexible scoring means you can perform it confidently whether your section sizes are typical or uneven.

What to expect

Fresh and engaging from the opening moments, with a character that shifts playfully as the variations unfold. The special effects keep energy high and ears attentive; students feel the piece moving through different moods and technical territories rather than staying in one place for twelve pages.

Who it's for

String orchestras at the early intermediate level (Grade 2) seeking a single piece that teaches multiple concepts without feeling like a lesson. Directors who want to program something lively and musically substantial for festival or concert performance and have a mixed-level group where flexible voicing is an asset.

How to get the most out of it

Spend time on the warm-up exercises included in the score. They target the specific bowings and key areas students will encounter in the main piece, making the transition to theme and variations much smoother.
Use the special effects as teaching moments during rehearsal. Isolate a few measures at a time and discuss what musical impression each effect creates before putting it into the larger context.
Balance the optional piano and percussion parts carefully in performance; they add color and harmonic support, but the string writing stands on its own if needed for your instrumentation.
Mark the meter changes (moving between keys and meters) in your parts with rehearsal letters or measure numbers so students don't lose confidence when the style shifts.

How to use it

Pair this as a fun anchor piece on a concert where you're premiering newer works or building a themed program around traditional music. Its moderate length and high engagement factor make it ideal for a young orchestra's first festival appearance, where the combination of solid musicianship and entertainment value connects well with adjudicators and audiences alike.