Solos for Young Violists CD, Volume 4: Viola CD

This series has earned its reputation because it treats the viola seriously without pretending young players are advanced ones. Barber's selections show genuine musical variety—you'll find transcriptions of genuine worth alongside original works—and the grading is honest and useful, not inflated. The recorded accompaniments transform practice sessions into real performances, which matters deeply for building confidence and musicality in young violists who often work alone.

Opening this series is like being handed a curated pathway through viola music. Each piece breathes with intention, whether it's an arrangement of a beloved melody or an original work written with young violists' developing skills in mind. The recorded accompaniments create an immediate sense of musical conversation rather than isolation.

This CD serves violists at intermediate levels who are ready for music beyond beginning method books but still developing technique and musical independence. Teachers use these recordings to demonstrate repertoire choices, give students a model to reference during practice, and build a repertoire that prepares violists for the substantial solo literature that awaits them.

• Use the recorded accompaniment at performance tempo first, then slow the CD to isolate technical passages. This maintains your connection to the musical line while you refine execution.
• Pay close attention to the piano part on your first listening. Understanding the harmonic context and accompaniment figure helps you shape phrasing that integrates rather than conflicts with the keyboard part.
• Record yourself against the accompaniment track and listen back. You'll hear rhythmic placement, tone consistency, and musical balance in ways that are hard to detect in real time.

Distribute individual pieces from this series throughout the year as students prepare for studio recitals, ensuring each student has material that matches both technical level and musical interest. The variety across the five volumes means you can assign different pieces to different students from the same series without repetition, and the recordings give students a reference during the weeks between lessons.

• Handling a range of musical styles and textures within a single collection
• Developing performance confidence through recorded accompaniment that provides musical support
• Reading and interpreting written music in conversation with a piano partner
• Building a repertoire that spans classical, contemporary, and arranged works