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The Norwood School has become something of a musical patron, inspiring three pieces of original orchestral music in the last two years.

Students at the Bethesda school recently performed an arrangement of "Pregoneros," a Cuban-style piece, at their Grandparents Day celebration. Never heard of it? That's because no one has ever played this arrangement before.

After hearing a group of female string players perform a similar piece on a PBS program last spring, Norwood strings teacher Moyna Daley contacted New York-based composer Jessie Montgomery and asked her to create a comparable piece for the Norwood strings students.

Montgomery took the original piece, performed by the group Cuba Mia, and made it approachable for elementary- and middle-school-age students.

"The kids were able to take a piece of Latin music, and convert it onto a traditionally Western instrument," Daley said. "We hope this will spin off into some other possibilities, so they can get a bigger view of the world."

The performance was a follow-up to two original pieces composed in 2007 especially for Norwood students by National Symphony Orchestra music director Leonard Slatkin, whose son attended the school at the time.

The 500-student school has always been strong musically, choosing to start strings students in first grade, rather than fourth, as many other schools do, Daley said.

"Pregoneros" — which means "town criers" in Spanish — is a complex piece that includes not only traditional violin playing but also incorporates some Latin flair, with students tapping their bows on the strings to create a more percussive sound. The combined lower and middle schools orchestra — more than 70 students strong — performed the piece on Nov. 24 at Norwood's Grandparents Day celebration, accompanied by Daley on the piano.

"I think it's pretty fun and inspiring," said Nathan Heath, 9, one of the featured performers. "And it teaches you lots of things, lots of different things."

Emily Cyrway, 8, of Potomac, said that while she enjoyed the new style, it wasn't without its difficulties.

"It was really different than others songs I've played, and it was my first solo thingy," she said. "It was a little bit faster, but it turned out great."

Montgomery, 28, said the arrangement took about a week and a half to create. She has worked with children's arrangements before, composing for a group in Providence, R.I., and said she finds the process "liberating."

"It's a good feeling to know that you're helping generate these kinds of opportunities for children," she said. "And yes, you're limited a bit, but sometimes that helps the process flow a little better."