Multi-Level Masterpieces!
With over 20 years of experimentation and refinement, Michael Linert’s Multi-Level Masterpiece arrangements and original compositions feature help music students to learn and grow in music with greater efficiency, speed, and enjoyment!
The focus of these pieces is to be as flexible as possible with regard to the type of ensemble (solos, small ensembles, and large ensembles, etc.), instrumentation of the ensemble, and level of musician (particularly-focused on enhancing student skills for musicians with 0-4 years of instruction, but with extensions to professional musicians).
Most of the currently-available pieces are Mariachi arrangements, but stay-tuned as a wider-variety of arrangements and original compositions are made available! Over 100 arrangements/compositions have been started over the past 20 years, but now, one-by-one, they are being edited to be made available for public use!
More Multi-Level Masterpiece info, videos, and purchase info is available via the links below!
Buy 50 or more Multi-Level Masterpiece arrangements and/or original compositions from my website in one order, and I’ll create and send a free Musical Message to you!
Original Compositions and Public Domain Arrangements
Los Machetes - Mexican Folk Dance - Coming August 2024!
Las Golondrinas - Narciso Serradell Sevilla - Coming August 2024!
La Bamba - Mexican Folk Song - Coming August 2024!
Pomp and Circumstance - Edward Elgar - Coming Soon!
Korobeiniki (Theme from Tetris) - Russian Folk Song - Coming Soon!
Blackberry Blossom - American Fiddle Tune - Coming Soon!
Cold Frosty Morning - American Fiddle Tune - Coming Soon!
Beautiful Dreamer - Stephen Foster - Coming Soon!
Hun er så hvid - Edvard Grieg - Coming Soon!
Goin’ Home Theme - Antonín Dvořák - Coming Soon!
Avalanche of Yetis in a Blizzard - Original - Coming Soon!
Gnomish Encounters: Mushroom Miners - Original - Coming Soon!
Passacaille for Goodbye - Original - Coming Soon!
Aspen Leaves in Fall - Original - Coming Soon!
Grateful Waves - Original - Coming Soon!
Falling for You - Original - Coming Soon!
Open Air - Original - Coming Soon!
Arrangements of Copyrighted Works by Others
Feliz Navidad - Coming Soon!
I’ll Be Seeing You - Sammy Fain and Irving Kahal - Coming Soon!
I’m Glad There Is You - Jimmy Dorsey and Paul Madeira - Coming Soon!
Let’s Do It - Cole Porter - Coming Soon!
The arrangements currently have two general formats. Most publicly-published arrangements follow Format 1.
Format 1: These arrangements feature parts ranging from a foundational player on their first day of instruction typically through a difficulty grade four. This format was developed and utilized largely as part of the Aspen Music Festival’s Mariachi Workshop allowing students with 0-8 years of experience to learn, explore, and perform together. Each instrument has four primary parts they can play: Foundational Notes, Bass Line, Harmony Line, and Melody Line(s). The Bass, Harmony, and Melody parts typically each have 2 parts (part 1 and part 2) with differences of difficulty between them. Parts are available for all of the typical orchestral, band, mariachi, and general music instruments. Between the various instruments all of the pitches/rhythms are identical, allowing for unison playing and practice.
These arrangements work best in public performance if everyone is playing the same part (say the melody), with a pianist playing the bass and harmony lines OR by splitting an ensemble to have foundational players playing the Foundational Notes, while other low instruments play the Bass Line parts, mid-range instruments play the Harmony parts, and upper range musicians playing the Melody parts. Low instruments can harmony or melody lines (and vice versa), but the arrangements can become “muddy” if too many parts overlap in the mid-range. Lyrics are included for the Melody parts on songs, but the pieces are written in a manner that they lyrics/singing can be optional.
Together the parts sound absolutely wonderful, but a focus is on unison playing of each individual part so that students can invest more time actively playing/learning rather than waiting for others to learn their parts. There are other arrangements of many of these pieces that have much greater complexity of counterpoint/harmony for musicians who are further along their musical journey to be able to independently learn their own parts without needed as much support and repetition.
Format 2: These arrangements feature parts typically ranging from a student with one to five years of experience. The parts typically include instruments from the string orchestra and mariachi, sometimes others, but each arrangement can be different. This format is for small to gigantic-sized groups (not as solos). Each instrument typically has three levels available to play (foundational, normal, advanced), but between different instruments, the parts can vary. Typically lower instruments play a bass line, guitars and other harmony strummed instruments play a harmony line, and upper range instruments play the melody. All lines are meant to be engaging, though the parts in the arrangements rarely switch roles (melody lines typically play the melody throughout). Some of these arrangements require vocals. The descriptions of each piece will make this known.
These pieces work great if you have an ensemble that can play the normal or advanced lines so that the piece sounds like the piece. Yay! The foundational lines are meant to be engaging, but to be played alongside a group playing the normal and/or advanced lines. The pieces work especially great for “festival” experiences, where you might bring elementary (or foundational middle or high school students) alongside to play with more advanced students for a huge performance experience!