String Festival Solos, Volume I: Viola Solo Book

This volume delivers genuine musical content without padding. Nine carefully transcribed classics give students a rich variety of style and character to explore within the early levels, and the progressive ordering means you can move through it with a single student across an entire year or two. Most importantly, these aren't dumbed-down arrangements; they're real pieces that sound musical and rewarding to play.

Stepping through these nine pieces is like taking a short tour of accessible classics. You move from the gentle elegance of a Serenade to the dance-like character of waltzes and the descriptive charm of pieces like Grandfather's Clock and Waves at Play. Each piece has distinct personality and invites the player to shape sound and phrasing intentionally.

This book serves young violists in grades 1 through 2, whether in private studio lessons or school orchestra programs. It works equally well for a student encountering the viola for the first time and for a more experienced player solidifying technique and musicianship at the early levels.

• Attend to the phrasing marks as written; even at Level 1, these transcriptions contain deliberate shaping that turns a simple melody into a complete musical statement.
• Use the variety of styles across the nine pieces to your advantage in lessons. Moving from the lyrical Serenade to the playful Waves at Play keeps both student and teacher engaged and prevents the repertoire from feeling repetitive.
• Let the accompaniment book guide your dynamic choices. Applebaum's transcriptions are designed to sit comfortably with piano support, and the interplay between melody and accompaniment often clarifies the intended character.

Volume I works beautifully as the core solo repertoire for a young violist preparing for a first recital or festival appearance. String educators often use pieces from this collection to build a recital program that mixes dance forms, character pieces, and lyrical songs, giving audiences and the student a sense of breadth without jumping into intermediate territory. The nine solos also provide ready material for assembly performances and informal school concerts.

• Dynamic control and shaping within phrases
• Reading and executing articulation markings (legato, staccato, accents)
• Listening for balance and blend when playing with piano accompaniment
• Musical interpretation of contrasting character pieces (waltzes, serenades, descriptive titles)
• Sustaining longer melodic lines with consistent tone
• Position shifts and intonation accuracy in first and second positions