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

This dramatic piece is suitable for children who have been playing for only a few weeks. Even though the tempo is slow, there is intensity from beginning to end, and the kids are thrilled to be able to play with passion and abandon while contributing to something that makes such an evocative impression.

 At some point, teachers should encourage their students to see "the bigger picture" by playing excerpts from other pieces that depict similar natural phenomena. Examples include the first movement of Vivaldi's Spring (from The Four Seasons), the fourth movement of Beethoven's Op. 29 string quintet (The Storm), and of course the fourth movement of his 6th symphony (The Pastorale). -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: Thunder! is available here.