Viola Lessons in Vermont

How viola learning works in Vermont

How does viola fit school music in Vermont?

Vermont districts provide annual learning opportunities in music, but each district sets its own graduation proficiencies and the state has no fine arts credit requirement for students graduating in 2026–27. In Essex Westford School District, students can borrow an EHS-owned instrument on a first-come, first-served basis if an instrument is cost prohibitive. That support can help a new player get started.

Who runs what for Vermont violists?

Two statewide groups serve different needs for Vermont viola students. The Vermont Music Educators Association (VMEA) organizes the Vermont All State Music Festival, where eligible high school students audition for orchestra and other ensembles through their school. The Vermont Music Teachers Association (VMTA) runs competitive auditions for string students studying with a VMTA teacher, including a solo route that can advance from Vermont to Eastern Division and national Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) competitions. The distinction matters: All State is an ensemble honor, while VMTA auditions recognize solo performance and progression.

Auditions and events in Vermont

How does a violist reach Vermont's top student honors?

Vermont's top viola honors follow two routes. For the ensemble route, eligible full-time high school students audition through their schools for the Vermont All State Music Festival; those selected join its orchestra or another ensemble. A separate solo route is open to string players studying with a Vermont Music Teachers Association (VMTA) teacher: state winners advance to Eastern Division, and division winners to Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) nationals. VMTA applications usually close in mid-September, with auditions in early November, while All State auditions take place in January. The two routes reward different strengths, so a student can choose ensemble playing or solo competition as a main goal.

What do auditions ask you to prepare?

For Vermont All State, the viola audition includes the required selection played unaccompanied, plus a major scale, melodic minor scale and arpeggio in a key chosen by the adjudicator. You also sight-read a short passage after one minute to review it silently. The full audition lasts 10 minutes, requires an original copy of the music, and asks you to prepare the whole selection even though adjudicators may choose excerpts. In weekly lessons, an event piece usually takes three to six months to prepare, leaving room to refine intonation and bow control as well as learn the notes.

What else is there to enter?

Vermont offers a less competitive performance setting through the VMTA Spring Festival, a noncompetitive audition in late winter or early spring where young musicians receive written evaluations. VMTA's Competitive Auditions, usually in early November, suit string students ready to pursue a solo award and possible advancement. The NEMFA Solo & Ensemble Performance Adjudication Festival has a northern Vermont site in December at White River Junction; instrumental soloists may use a live or recorded accompanist or perform alone. These options let a student choose feedback, competition or a solo performance experience.

Homeschool and private school students

Vermont All State is open to eligible full-time high school musicians from public, private and state-approved home schools, but applications go through the student's school. For the 2027 festival, auditions are scheduled for January 16 and the festival runs May 5–8. A homeschool violist can also consider the VMTA festival and competitive audition routes, which are not described as school-only opportunities; competitive audition participants study with a VMTA teacher.

Starting at any age

Starting a child on viola

Viola suits a child who is ready to hold and bow a string instrument with control, and there is no need to wait for a school orchestra opening. Vermont's school details include violin and cello starting in third grade at The Village School of North Bennington, but do not establish a general viola start grade. A private teacher can build bow hold, posture, listening and note-reading before a child joins an ensemble, then help connect individual practice to playing with other strings.

A teen in Vermont

A Vermont teen can work toward the All State Music Festival, whose audition season begins in January and whose selected students perform in May. The viola route also includes VMTA competitive auditions, usually held in early November, with applications usually due in mid-September. Weekly lessons give a student a steady place to shape the audition music alongside schoolwork and ensemble commitments, so preparation becomes part of the school year rather than a last-minute push.

Starting or coming back as an adult

Adults in Vermont can begin viola or return after a long break; musical experience at any age gives a teacher a useful starting point. The Amateur Musicians Orchestra in South Burlington is a community orchestra for adult, non-professional musicians and has no auditions, while the Vermont Philharmonic is a volunteer orchestra for professional and amateur musicians. A teacher can meet you at your current reading and playing level, then help you build the tone, bow control and confidence needed to play with others.

Finding the right teacher

What should a good viola teacher do?

A strong viola teacher listens closely to tone and intonation while helping you or your child develop relaxed bow control and a dependable practice routine. In Vermont, a teacher familiar with string auditions can guide a student toward All State or VMTA goals without making competition the only measure of progress. The right fit also depends on age, pace and personality: a young beginner needs clear physical steps, while an adult returning to viola may want help rebuilding reading and technique. Every Lesson With You teacher holds at least a bachelor's degree in viola, and you can choose one yourself or ask us to recommend one.

How do live online viola lessons work?

In a live Zoom viola lesson, position the camera to show your left hand, bow arm and full instrument, so your teacher can watch your technique as you play and give feedback in the moment. A quiet room and steady setup make it easier to hear intonation and adjust bow control together. Lessons are one-on-one each week with the same dedicated teacher, and there is no commute, which makes regular practice support easier to fit into a school week. A student in Burlington and a student in Rutland have the same choice of teacher and the same lesson, rather than being limited to whoever is closest.

Viola in Vermont

Where to hear viola

Chamber music gives Vermont viola students a clear way to hear their instrument's role in an ensemble. In St. Johnsbury, the Northeast Kingdom Classical Series presents string quartets and piano trios during its 2026–27 season, including the Weiss Kaplan Stumpf Trio, Ivalas Quartet and Sussmann-Wang Duo. Central Vermont listeners can look to Capital City Concerts for live chamber music. In Randolph, Opera Vermont's Costaso world premiere is scheduled for November 13–14, 2026, at Chandler Music Hall, offering another live performance this season.

Where to play with others

Beyond youth ensembles, adult and community orchestras give Vermont violists another way to play with others. In South Burlington, the Amateur Musicians Orchestra welcomes adult, non-professional musicians without auditions, while the Vermont Philharmonic brings professional and amateur musicians together. For a student, these groups show how viola playing can continue into community music after school; adults can work toward orchestra playing at a level that suits their experience.

Viola around Vermont, area by area

Burlington area

Colchester is home to the Vermont Youth Orchestra, which welcomes viola players and presents three major concerts each year at Burlington’s Flynn. In Burlington, the Summer Concert Series offers free music at City Hall Park on Wednesdays and Fridays in June, then Fridays in July and August at 12:30 p.m. Together, these give local families both a student ensemble to follow and a regular summer chance to hear live music.

Rutland area

In Rutland, Trinity Presents offers free concerts, a useful way for a viola student to hear live music without a ticket purchase. The Vermont Fiddle Orchestra rehearses weekly in Montpelier and gives a public performance after each session, offering a place for viola players to experience a folk-based ensemble sound. These options connect Rutland listeners with both concerts in town and participatory music in central Vermont.

A little viola history in Vermont

Vermont has a small but meaningful viola presence in its instrument-making and performance history. In Jericho, Warren Ellison handcrafts modern and Baroque violas, while V. Richelieu's South Burlington workshop makes violins and violas and ties its name to Vermont heritage. Burlington-born violist Katherine Murdock performed with the Mendelssohn String Quartet. These connections show a student that the viola belongs both to the state's craft tradition and to serious chamber music, giving local study a living context beyond school orchestra.