From the Heart was commissioned to honor a beloved string teacher’s retirement, expressing love and appreciation for years of inspiring teaching. This lyrical work, written entirely in first position, features melodies in every section with brief violin and cello solos. String techniques include slurs, arpeggios, and hooked bowings, as well as glorious key changes between D and G Major. Its reflective character makes it an especially meaningful choice for student graduations. Written at an accessible grade 2.5 level, the piece sounds harder than it is, making it a great choice to highlight musical maturity for developing ensembles.