Down by the Riverside – String Orchestra Grade 3

Down by the Riverside, arranged by Renata Bratt, is a New Orleans-style African American Spiritual and a toe-tapping closer. Every instrument in the string orchestra has its moment to shine. Overlapping melodic riffs throughout add to the fun! Syncopated rhythms in the accompaniment and melodic parts reinforce your students’ reading skills. After the initial presentation of the tune, more and more groups of instruments join to play melodic riffs, many times over the top of each other, just like what you would hear a New Orleans jazz band play in a second-line parade. This arrangement was first written for the students of the Wintergrass Youth Orchestra, a big bluegrass (and more) festival held in Bellevue, Washington every February. (3:10)