The Speed of Sound 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)", The Speed of Sound is rated "Difficult". A portion of the proceeds of sales for all CSPC music goes to support free music education at The People's Music School.

All children love to go fast. And not just when playing their musical instruments. This happens when they ride their bicycles or when they just run around outdoors. Some of us never outgrow this craving – hence our preference for fast cars and our impatience with slow internet downloads. The problem with young string students is that they lack not so much the facility, but the control and patience to play fast without things sounding like a total mess. Still, velocity is a technical priority that should be addressed sooner than later.

How can velocity be developed without inviting cacophony? The key is to maintain a controlled context by focusing on musical fragments that are challenging yet not beyond the students' reach. Very often the problem is not the difficulty of the notes; it's the number of notes that the kids are expected to play at one time. Therefore teachers should choose fragments that are comprised of only a few notes. After many repetitions, the kids will be able to play them with ease. [Please refer to Método pequeño in the section of CSPC entitled Useful Rehearsal Techniques & Drills.]
-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: The Speed of Sound is available here.