Lola's Birthday is one of 16 pieces for elementary string ensemble included in Richard Young's Comprehensive String Pedagogy & Curriculum. On a scale of "Easy", "More Challenging" to "Difficult (but Still Appropriate for Elementary Students)", Lola's Birthday is rated "Difficult".

This traditional birthday song was influenced by an important new member of the Linguine household: an adorable but excitable puppy named Lola. Like many puppies, Lola would bark uncontrollably, sometimes when neighbors would walk by the house, other times when a leaf would fall from a nearby tree. It should come as no surprise that Lola's "paw-prints" are all over this piece.
As with a few other Elementary pieces in this Comprehensive String Pedagogy & Curriculum, the children play the featured (but easier) parts while a pianist and Intermediate string players are needed for the more challenging accompanying material.
-Richard Young

Full program notes are included with the score. There are fingerings and bowings in all the string parts of every one of CSPC's pieces. These "cooked-in" technical solutions target the particular levels of the students. They are not just pragmatic but "musical." A complimentary keyboard accompaniment sound file for Linguine: Lola's Birthday is available here.