Top Christian Hits Instrumental Solos for Strings: Viola Book & CD

These are warm, accessible melodies drawn from songs your students may already know and sing. The arrangements sit comfortably in the viola's range without awkward stretches, creating a direct emotional connection to music that speaks to faith and hope rather than classical convention.

Violists in grades 2-3 who respond to current Christian worship music will find immediate engagement with these arrangements. This book works equally well for church ensemble programs, school string orchestras programming sacred repertoire, or private studio students seeking contemporary material that matters to them.

• Listen through the demo track first to hear how the viola sits within the arrangement and where your melodic moments shine brightest.
• Use the play-along recording to lock in tempo and phrasing; start at a comfortable speed and gradually match the recorded tempo once you've internalized the accompaniment.
• Pay attention to dynamic contrast in contemporary Christian songs, which often build from intimate verse moments to fuller chorus textures. Shape your tone accordingly rather than playing at one volume throughout.
• Mark phrase endings and breathe musically even on sustained notes; these melodies are rooted in vocal writing, so treat them as singable lines rather than purely instrumental passages.

Program individual selections alongside classical string repertoire in spring concerts to show the range of what your ensemble performs, or build an entire service music set around these titles for church or school chapel contexts. They also pair well as warm-up material or sight-reading challenges early in rehearsal because students engage more readily with familiar melodies.

• Reading in multiple keys common to contemporary Christian music
• Sustaining phrase lines across longer musical statements
• Balancing vibrato and tone control to match a recorded accompaniment
• Interpreting dynamic markings that shape modern worship arrangements
• Intonation awareness when playing alongside full orchestral recordings