Measures of Success for String Orchestra-Viola Book 2: Viola Method Book

Measures of Success strikes the balance that classroom teachers desperately need: solid fundamentals without sacrificing musicality. The sequencing feels deliberate rather than arbitrary, and the repertoire keeps students wanting to play rather than enduring exercises.

Purposeful and affirming. Rather than feeling like you're grinding through exercises, students experience the satisfaction of playing real musical ideas from the start. The book respects their growing musicianship while giving them the technical scaffolding they need.

Viola students in their second year of study who are ready to move beyond absolute fundamentals but still benefit from methodical progression. This book serves both classroom string orchestras and individual viola students working with private teachers who want a structured yet musical path forward.

• Build bow control gradually by isolating the passages that introduce new bow techniques before running full pieces; students will feel immediate improvement when they return to the complete arrangement.
• Have students tap the rhythmic patterns independently before adding pitch; this breaks complex rhythms into manageable pieces and prevents the common pattern of rushing unfamiliar meters.
• Record yourself playing each exercise at a moderate tempo and let students learn alongside the recording during practice; this reinforces what good intonation sounds like without requiring constant live feedback.
• Mark the page turns clearly so students aren't caught off guard mid-phrase; this simple prep step eliminates the hesitation and breath issues that otherwise derail young players.

Use this as your core curriculum for intermediate viola students, pairing it with the other instrument books in the Measures of Success series to build a coordinated string program. The material sequences naturally into the third book and provides enough substance to sustain focused study across a full year.

• Reading in alto clef with confidence and fluency
• Bow control across the full range of bow speeds and weights
• Intonation accuracy in first and second positions
• Rhythmic precision including compound and syncopated patterns
• Vibrato technique and when to apply it musically
• Finger dexterity and left-hand independence
• Phrasing and breath placement in longer melodic lines