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Sight-Read It for Strings: Viola Book

$7.95 USD
$7.95 USD
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Sight-Read It for Strings Cover Image
Sight-Read It for Strings: Viola Book

Sight-Read It for Strings: Viola Book

Improving Reading and Sight-Reading Skills in the String Classroom or Studio

By Andrew H. Dabczynski, Richard Meyer, and Bob Phillips

Item: 00-25260
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Description
A comprehensive supplement for classroom or studio in a unique format, Sight-Read It for Strings will develop consistent reading habits and improve sight-reading for violin, viola, cello and bass students. Using a non-sequential unit format, materials are flexible and can be individualized.

Sight-Read It for Strings develops consistent reading habits by addressing:
-Counting System
-Identification of musical and non-musical cues
-Identification of musical patterns
-Awareness of the music page layout (the "road map")
-Special reading issues not necessarily related to notes

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Additional Details
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 32
ISBN10: 0-7390-3971-7
ISBN13: 978-0-7390-3971-7
UPC: 038081271439
SKU: 00-25260
Instrumentation: Viola

More about this title

About the Composer: Andrew H. Dabczynski

Andrew H. Dabczynski

Andrew H. Dabczynski spent decades shaping string pedagogy from multiple angles: as a performer in regional orchestras across the Northeast and Midwest, as a laboratory instructor training future string teachers at Brigham Young University, and as a music supervisor overseeing fine arts education in public school systems. His academic credentials span applied performance (B.M. from Eastman), graduate study in chamber music at the University of Connecticut, and a Ph.D. in Music Education from the University of Michigan. He founded BYU's "New Horizons Orchestra" for adult beginners and served as violist in the Colden String Quartet during its residency at Western Michigan University.

Recognized by Utah ASTA as "Higher Education Teacher of the Year" in 2005, Dabczynski has held leadership positions within the American String Teachers Association and taught at national workshops. Beyond string method design, his research interests extend into folk music and ethnomusicology, particularly the study of fiddling traditions. He co-authored the widely used String Explorer method series with Alfred Publications.

Why we love this

This book moves beyond drilling note names and rhythms. By isolating the cognitive skills that separate fluent readers from struggling ones, it lets you target exactly where each student gets stuck. Teachers appreciate its modular design, which means you're not locked into a sequence and can address a student's specific need the moment it arises.

What to expect

Focused and purposeful. Rather than grinding through endless exercises, students zoom in on the specific barriers blocking their fluency, whether that's tracking time signatures across the page or recognizing phrase patterns. The concentrated approach builds confidence quickly.

Who it's for

Viola students preparing for ensemble reading or working to build confidence with unfamiliar scores. It serves studio teachers and classroom directors equally well, whether you're supporting a single student's practice or building reading fluency across a full orchestra.

How to get the most out of it

  • Rotate through the units rather than working front to back. If a student falters on mixed meter, jump to that unit; if page layout creates anxiety, start there instead.
  • Read the opening sections on counting systems and musical cues aloud as a class before assigning individual work. These frameworks become the shared language that students reference when they're sight-reading independently.
  • Pair the worksheets with repertoire students are currently learning. When they nail a rhythm pattern in this book, immediately apply it to their ensemble piece.
  • Use the non-musical cues section to prepare students for printed parts that vary in formatting and layout. Real ensemble parts are messy; this book trains them to navigate that reality.

How to use it

Assign specific units as homework targeted to problems you observe in rehearsal. When the viola section stumbles on a key signature change or layout trick during orchestra, send them to the relevant section that week. The 32-page length makes it manageable for students to work through over a semester or year without overwhelming their practice routine.

Skills your students will build

  • Counting systems and meter changes
  • Recognition of musical and non-musical layout cues
  • Pattern identification across different rhythmic and melodic contexts
  • Page reading strategies and visual score navigation
  • Systematic approaches to unfamiliar notation and formatting

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