Viola
The viola is the heart of the orchestra. This beautiful instrument looks like a violin and sounds like a cello. If you love warm, rich sounds and you like to harmonize, this instrument is for you!
Viola players should order their rental instrument in the spring and ask for it to be delivered to Collins Intermediate in August. Mrs. Gibbs will get the instrument set up for instruction and have it for you when you come to school in the fall. Please do not purchase an instrument without consulting Mrs. Gibbs. Rental is strongly encouraged for beginners. Most local companies apply a significant portion of the rental towards eventual purchase. This enables beginners to learn on high quality, easily playable instruments that can be traded up for a bigger size as students grow. An inexpensive instrument is difficult to play and rarely sounds good.
Remember:
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The front of the viola is the most fragile. The front is the side with the strings. I call it the bumpy side. On the case it's the side that bumps out where the bridge and the bow are.
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Bows are incredibly fragile. Please do not take your bow out of your case until you have been taught how to handle it.
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The back of the case is usually flatter just like the back of the viola. That's the side you set on the floor or a table to open the case.
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Protect your viola from pets and siblings. Only authorized viola personnel should handle your viola!
Practice doing only what I've taught you so far. Don't set yourself up to have to undo bad habits!
Viola Links
This online resource has all things viola. Excellent photos and descriptions.
Marie Daniels is from The Woodlands and a former Collins student. An active solo, chamber and orchestral musician, Marie performs in and around Hamburg and New York City. She loves traveling across the world to teach and perform in countries in Asia, Europe and South America. Currently Marie is Assistant Principal of the Bremer Philharmoniker. You can find Marie on YouTube at Violamad.
Black Violin is an American hip hop duo from Florida, with Kev Marcus on violin and Wil B on viola. They play a variety of music relying heavily upon classical music. They are often categorized as hip hop because of the changes to the rhythm and beats.