Forest Hills Folk Suite: Viola

Phillips writes idiomatically for strings at this level, ensuring that middle-grade players get genuinely musical material rather than exercises dressed as pieces. The suite structure lets you program flexibly: teach all three movements together or extract individual selections for concerts without losing coherence. Violas and cellos finally step into the spotlight with substantial melodic writing, a welcome shift from typical Grade 2 repertoire where these voices often carry harmonic filler.

Forest Hills Folk Suite unfolds like a lyrical journey through American pastoral landscape: "River Hymn" opens with reverent, hymn-like phrasing; "Waltz of the Hills" dances gracefully with period charm; "Barn Dance" erupts with infectious, old-time fiddle energy and joy. The writing is consistently lyrical without ever feeling saccharine, and the folk idiom gives students permission to phrase generously and play with stylistic warmth.

String orchestras in grades 2-3 who have solid rhythmic foundation and are ready for pieces with genuine character and melodic substance. Directors seeking material that engages all sections equally will appreciate Phillips's approach to voice balance here. This suite works equally well for festival preparation or standard concert programming.

• Honor the early Americana character by finding the legit folk roots of each movement; "River Hymn" should breathe like a hymnal, while "Barn Dance" needs rhythmic drive without rushing.
• Balance the inner voices carefully in "Waltz of the Hills," where viola and cello lines carry as much musical weight as the first violins.
• Use the three-movement structure strategically: rehearse movements individually before combining them, which also gives students concrete short-term goals and builds stamina progressively.
• The C Major and F natural focus means intonation work pays immediate dividends; lock those tonalities early so students hear the harmonic center throughout the suite.

Program the entire suite as a concert centerpiece, or select individual movements to pair with contrasting classical repertoire for programmatic variety. The brief, self-contained movements make this ideal for festival competition, where you can feature it as a complete submission or remix the lineup depending on rehearsal progress. Align the teaching timeline with Sound Innovations Book 2 instruction if you use that curriculum; the correlation strengthens both the method work and this performance piece.

• Intonation in F and C natural across all string sections
• Sustained legit and phrasing in hymn-like material
• Viola and cello independence and confidence with primary melodic lines
• Stylistic awareness of early Americana fiddle and folk traditions
• Rhythmic precision and lift in waltz meter (3/4) and traditional dance figures