ViolaFest, Volume 1: Viola Book

Martin knows exactly what violists need at every stage of development, and she refuses to bore them while they're building skill. The collection balances genuine musical interest with technical accessibility, so beginners don't feel like they're playing exercises, and the repertoire grows with your students as they advance through Volume 2. This is the kind of book that earns its shelf space because teachers reach for it again and again.

Warm and unpretentious. These pieces live in the real world of student ensembles: varied enough to stay interesting across repeated rehearsals, singable enough to lodge in memory, and structured so that every player has a voice in the texture.

Viola students in their first years of study through intermediate players building ensemble experience. Teachers looking for original, age-appropriate material that respects young musicians' growing musicality and technical capacity.

• Pair the easiest duets with your youngest violists in this volume; they work beautifully as performance pieces or studio recital openers, and early success builds confidence in ensemble playing.
• Listen through the full collection before assigning parts. The variety of musical styles means you can match pieces to your students' current interests and strengths.
• Mix instrumentation where the scoring allows. Martin's flexible writing often accommodates violin, cello, or other strings alongside viola, so you're not limited to viola-only combinations.

Build a mini-recital from several pieces at different difficulty levels, showcasing how your studio grows. Use the duets to introduce ensemble playing in group lessons, or slot individual pieces into shared concerts where violists and other strings perform together. The collection works as both a steady diet of rehearsal material and a source of polished performance pieces.

• Reading in alto clef with growing fluency and expression
• Balancing tone and intonation in unison and two-part textures
• Listening to and blending with ensemble partners
• Following a conductor while maintaining musical independence
• Sustaining melodic lines across phrase changes
• Shifting and position security across multiple registers