Stringtastic Beginners: Viola: Viola Book

Musical from the start. Rather than drilling exercises, you're playing real pieces with styles that range across folk, classical, and contemporary idioms. There's genuine reward in sounding like musicians, not just students learning mechanics.

Viola students starting from scratch, whether in private lessons, group classes, or classroom strings programs. The integrated nature of the series means mixed-instrument ensembles (violin, cello, double bass students learning simultaneously) can function right from the first week.

• Start with the open-string duets as a confidence builder. Having two students play the same melody at different technical levels normalizes the learning process and creates immediate musical payoff.
• Download both the full backing track and the piano-only version. Use the accompaniment track for solo practice (students hear themselves in context) and the piano-only option in lessons where you want to listen closely to their intonation and tone.
• Space out the progression deliberately. The jump from open strings to D major scale work matters more than rushing through 40 pieces. Let each student own five or six pieces before moving forward.

Anchor your first-year viola curriculum around this. The 40+ pieces provide enough material for a full academic year without supplementing heavily, and the flexible duet structure means it works equally well in a pull-out lesson model or a full ensemble class where instruments are mixed.

• Open-string tone production and bow control
• Left-hand placement and intonation in first position
• Reading notes within the D major scale
• Understanding rhythmic patterns in simple time signatures
• Playing independently within an ensemble texture
• Shifting confidence through stylistically varied repertoire