To B, or Not to B?: String Orchestra Conductor Score

This piece uses wordplay and a tuneful melody to make a sophisticated pedagogical point about accidentals and modality actually memorable. Rather than drilling fingering patterns in isolation, LaBrie embeds the technical exploration into a character-driven work that students want to play and audiences enjoy hearing. The jaunty 6/8 rhythm and the musical tension between D Major and D minor create inherent forward momentum, so your ensemble stays engaged even as they're building fingerboard literacy.

A witty musical conversation that bounces between two versions of the same home key, never quite settling into one mood. The 6/8 lilt keeps everything light and playful, even as the piece asks genuine questions about the fingerboard and how much one note can change everything.

String orchestras in the upper elementary to middle school range who are ready to tackle accidentals with intention and confidence. This score works best for ensembles that can manage consistent articulation and clear intonation across shifting tonalities without losing the performance quality that makes the humor land.

• Establish a clear pulse in the 6/8 meter before rehearsal begins; conduct the piece in two large beats per measure to maintain the jaunty character.
• Have students identify all B naturals and B flats in their parts before full-group rehearsal so they can speak the accidentals aloud as landmarks during their first run-through.
• Highlight the dialogue between Major and minor sections in your conducting; use slightly different character or intensity for each mode to help strings hear and internalize the contrast.
• Allow the piece to breathe at fermatas without rushing back in; the humor lands better when the ensemble respects the silence.

Program this on a festival or contest performance where you want to demonstrate both technical growth and musical maturity; it signals that your ensemble can handle sophisticated concepts with style. The novelty angle also makes it a natural choice for a spring or end-of-year concert where lighter repertoire balances more serious selections.

• Identifying and executing B naturals and B flats in context
• Playing in both D Major and D minor with tonal awareness
• Understanding diatonic versus chromatic alterations on the fingerboard
• Maintaining articulation clarity across modal changes
• Reading and performing in 6/8 meter with consistent pulse