Solos for Young Violists CD, Volume 2: Viola CD

The piano accompaniments recorded on this disc transform solo practice into a full musical partnership, keeping students engaged and motivated through repertoire they're actively learning from the printed books. Barber's own performances set a clear standard for interpretation without being prescriptive, giving teachers and students a reliable reference while preserving room for individual musicianship. The range of styles and eras represented across Volume 2 means students hear themselves growing across genuine artistic territory, not just technical exercises.

Opening this collection feels like discovering works that have earned their place in the viola canon for good reason. The accompaniments provide warmth and harmonic context that elevates even elementary-level pieces beyond the skeletal quality of piano reductions, allowing the viola line to sing as part of a genuine musical conversation. Each track reveals why these particular works have become touchstones for developing violists.

Violists working through graded repertoire from elementary through advanced levels will find this CD essential for building musicianship alongside technical growth. Studio teachers value it as a motivational tool that brings professional-quality accompaniment into practice rooms without needing a collaborative pianist. Young ensembles and intermediate students benefit from hearing Barber's recorded performances as models for stylistic interpretation across a range of periods and genres.

• Listen through the entire accompaniment track before rehearsing with it; use that first hearing to map phrase shapes and tempo without pressure to match immediately.
• Start with the piano alone to internalize the harmonic and rhythmic foundation, then layer your viola part once the accompaniment feels familiar.
• Mark your music with cues from the piano part that signal important entrance points or shifts in texture, especially in pieces where the accompaniment carries the harmonic weight.
• Record yourself playing along with the accompaniment and listen back to assess intonation and ensemble balance in sections where your part blends into the texture.

Pair performances from this series with student recitals at multiple levels throughout the year, using the professional recordings as a listening reference during studio lessons to reinforce interpretive choices. Teachers can also program pieces from Volume 2 in chamber concert settings where student violists perform with collaborative pianists, having already internalized the accompaniment patterns through this recording. The variety of styles makes it natural to introduce students to different musical periods and textures as part of a larger curriculum spanning their study.

• Matching intonation and rhythm to a recorded accompaniment without live feedback
• Sustaining long phrases while maintaining musical shape against a full harmonic context
• Interpreting stylistic conventions across baroque, classical, romantic, and contemporary repertoire
• Building confidence in performance through repeated listening and incremental learning
• Developing independence as an ensemble partner by learning to balance volume and phrasing with piano texture