Introducing the Mark Wood Series
Featuring Free Play-Along and Video Resources
Alfred Music is excited to partner with recording artist, performer, producer, inventor, Emmy® Award-winning composer, and music education advocate Mark Wood to create a new series for string orchestra. Students will love applying classical techniques while adding rock-type elements. These amazing arrangements and originals will energize your string orchestra. Many of these pieces are in multi-level format, including two pieces in one! Mix and match the parts to help all of your students have appropriate level music. These will be perfect for mass performances!
Play-Along Resources
Any Way You Want It / Don't Stop Believin'
Grades 1 & 3
Mark Wood's multi-level arrangement of Any Way You Want It / Don't Stop Believin' showcases fun rock styles and classical technique.
Download Play-Along Track Watch Score & Sound VideoArizona Sun
Grades 1 & 2
This work is in the key of A major and based on a traditional blues progression that can be found in early rock and roll.
Download Play-Along Track Watch Score & Sound VideoBach to Rock
Grade 3½
Bach to Rock showcases the beauty of 17th century music with a more contemporary rock feel.
Download Play-Along Track Watch Score & Sound VideoCome Fly With Me
Grade 3
The composer, Mark Wood, writes: Come Fly With Me comes from my personal visualization of flying while improvising music.
Download Play-Along Track Watch Score & Sound VideoCrazy Train
Grades 2 & 3
Crazy Train was co-written by one of Mark Wood's main influences and favorite guitar players, Randy Rhoads, a neo-classical rock guitar player.
Download Play-Along Track Watch Score & Sound Video Watch Student VideoDreams
Grade 3-4
Dreams is one of the great Van Halen songs now transcribed for string orchestra. As a string player, I was enamored with Eddie Van Halen. He was a big influence on me while I was studying at Juilliard.
Download Performance Track Download Play-Along Track Watch Score & Sound VideoFireball
Grade 3.5
Fireball was originally composed for the television broadcast of the bike race, Tour de France, for CBS Sports.
Download Play-Along Track Watch Score & Sound VideoHigh Hopes
Grade 2-3
This arrangement of the Panic! At the Disco hit High Hopes is perfect for strings! Very smooth, rhythmic transitions and easy playability. It is arranged for two different grade levels, so you can include more performers with different playing levels.
Download Track (140 BPM) Download Track (Full Tempo) Watch Score & Sound VideoHunters of Avatar
Grades 1 & 2
Inspired by characters in the movie Avatar orchestra musicians are conveyed as a type of "string warrior" depicted by stomping and shouting!
Download Play-Along Track Watch Score & Sound Video Watch Student VideoLuminoCity
Grade 3.5
Featured on Mark Wood's album Turbow, "LuminoCity" is an emotional ride from the calm and mysterious opening to the searing and electrifying ending.
Download Play-Along Track Watch Score & Sound VideoRide the Wind
Grade 3½
This composition showcases how pop/rock music fits perfectly with orchestras and features soaring melodies and rockin' cellos and basses!
Download Play-Along Track Watch Score & Sound VideoString Thang
Grades 2 & 3
String Thang uses both blue notes in the main tune and the solo violin's part, as well as improvisational principles in the solo.
Download Play-Along Track Watch Score & Sound Video Watch Student VideoVivaldi Rocks
Grade 4
Combining the classical traditional style and rock and roll, this piece for solo violin and orchestra will dazzle the concert hall.
Download Play-Along Track Watch Score & Sound VideoWood's Bolero
Grades 2 & 4
Wood's Bolero focuses on the American bolero while maintaining elements of the dance's origins and first iterations.
Download Play-Along Track Watch Score & Sound Video Watch Student VideoDifferentiate Your Instruction with Multi-Level Pieces
Perfect for mixed-level ensembles, or for combining classes, several titles in the Mark Wood series include two sets of parts, each for a different grade level. Mix and match the parts so that your students have the part that is best-suited for them! Click on the sample excerpts below to see the entire page.
Several pieces include a solo so you can feature a student or guest soloist.
Access the Mark Wood Playbook in MakeMusic Cloud (SmartMusic) and enjoy all of the Playbook content plus exclusive bonus material with your subscription! Use world-class practice tools with additional exercises, loops, and compositions to challenge and support your journey!
About Mark Wood
Mark Wood's dexterity, ferocity, texture, and attack of playing almost invariably lead to comparisons with some of the rock era's most renowned guitarists. Comparisons, however, cannot come close to capturing the electricity, passion, and innovation exhibited in all of his very unique music.
In an industry where originality is a highly prized commodity, recording artist, performer, producer, inventor, Emmy-winning composer, and music education advocate Mark Wood is truly an original. He began his career with a full scholarship to the prestigious Juilliard School in New York and had the privilege of studying under Maestro Leonard Bernstein at the Tanglewood Music Program.
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