Teaching Cello - Repertoire for Beginning Cello Students
Students at every level should play through as much music as possible, to aid in building strong sightreading skills. But this music should generally be at (or occasionally slightly below) their level.
Beginning students need to get used to playing in closed first position for a good amount of time before extended positions are started; this allows them to develop a strong knowledge of where to put their hand (which will be useful later on, when they start shifting).
As a teacher, I have bought multiple copies of some of these books and lent them to students who weren't going to be studying the books very long, just so they could have more material to read through. I love the books with cello-part-only purchase options; much more affordable for students!
While you can move quickly through many of the pieces in these beginning books, books like String Festival Solos and Solo Time have repertoire that you can have your students study a little longer and then perform.
Beginning students need to get used to playing in closed first position for a good amount of time before extended positions are started; this allows them to develop a strong knowledge of where to put their hand (which will be useful later on, when they start shifting).
As a teacher, I have bought multiple copies of some of these books and lent them to students who weren't going to be studying the books very long, just so they could have more material to read through. I love the books with cello-part-only purchase options; much more affordable for students!
While you can move quickly through many of the pieces in these beginning books, books like String Festival Solos and Solo Time have repertoire that you can have your students study a little longer and then perform.
Beginning I: Solo Books
Compilations of easy cello pieces that include no (or very little) extended first position.
The Marvelous, Essential Waggon Wheels Series!Stepping Stones and Waggon Wheels are incredible books; I use them with virtually every student. Stepping Stones has songs with open strings and first finger, while Waggon Wheels has songs with third and fourth fingers. Fast Forward has some extended first position but includes charming songs!
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Easy Solos for Beginning CelloEasy Solos, by Craig Duncan is a good book to follow Waggon Wheels. And after that, or along with it, my favorite book of longer beginning solos has to be Applebaum's String Festival Solos.
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String Festival SolosI absolutely love these books! Come to the Sea has been a favorite of my beginning students for years. Contains some adorable playing-intensive solos that don't use extended position (hooray!).
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Playing the CelloPlaying the Cello, Book One is a fun first position solo book with exercises interspersed throughout. A piano accompaniment is also available.
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Solo Time for Strings - for CelloSolo Time begins with piece that uses only open strings, first finger and then a piece that uses only open strings, first and third fingers, allowing very beginning students to play actual solos. When played with the piano accompaniment, they are really great! With some optional first finger E's in fourth position later in the book, I return to a few of these pieces when my students start fourth position.
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Little Mozart Pieces for CelloGreat book of first position cello pieces by Mozart!
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Solos for StringsBlast from the past.
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Piece by Piece for CelloLots of fun!
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Premier Voyage: A Huge Amount of MaterialVery easy, very short pieces.
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Beginning I: Solo Pieces
These folios contain a single solo piece.
Earnshaw's TarantellaThis Tarantella, by Earnshaw, is so adorable that I find myself smiling whenever I play it with a student. And there's the giant spider-web on the cover that is so fascinating to my students. This is a great piece to work on 6/8 timing and prepare for future Tarantellas!
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Carse's Merry Dance |
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Aller's Gavotte |
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Muller's King of the Deep |
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Vallee's Petit Concert No. 1 |
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Squire's At Twilight |
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Paxton's Allegro ModeratoA one-page piece in mostly eighth notes and quarter notes with some very brief extending to reach 4th finger C-sharp on the G string. Some sixteenth notes. Perfect for older students and adults who want to play "real music" and less of the kiddie stuff.
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Beginning II: Solo books that are a bit more complicated
These books might have more extended first position or half position than the books above. The rhythms are more complicated as well. For younger students, I may skip these books and pieces altogether and go straight to easy fourth position material, such as Fourth Position Preparatory Studies and Fourth Position Pieces for the Cello.
Older students and adults, however, can often do quite well with some of the material listed below. I don't like to wait very long before starting fourth position because the students need to be as comfortable as possible moving around on the cello. However, one option would be to start teaching fourth position through a method and assign some of these more difficult first-position pieces as repertoire.
Older students and adults, however, can often do quite well with some of the material listed below. I don't like to wait very long before starting fourth position because the students need to be as comfortable as possible moving around on the cello. However, one option would be to start teaching fourth position through a method and assign some of these more difficult first-position pieces as repertoire.
Classical Album for Cello |
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Fantastic Material by the Great W.H. Squire!Beautiful 2-page pieces that are all in first position. Can be used quite effectively for recitals.
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Cello BookBigger notes means that this book is more complicated than it looks.
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Melodies by Old MastersSubstantial book of pieces; great for older students.
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Beginning II: Solo pieces that are a bit more complicated
Hindemith's Three Easy Pieces |
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Scarmolin's Introduction and Dance |
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Two Pieces by Squire |
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Beginning Cello Sonatas and Concertinos
Check out pieces by Rudolf Matz
Although they are difficult to find, Sonata Da Camera and Sonatina in C Major, both by Rudolf Matz, are wonderful beginning pieces. (Try Shar Music for pieces by Rudolf Matz.)
Reinagle SonatineThree short movements, one instance of extended position.
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Vivaldi ConcertoIf you cross out the fingerings, this is entirely playable in first position. And how often does a beginner get to play an actual concerto?! Some extended first position.
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Breval Concertino in CBeautiful little 3-movement concertino with some extended first position. Perfect for talented students who are starting on a high-level performance track from the very beginning.
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Breval Concertino in DAnother beautiful little 3-movement concertino that has more extended first position than the C major Concertino. Also great for talented students who are starting on a high-level performance track from the very beginning.
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Schaffrath SonataSlightly more complicated rhythmically than the other pieces listed here but still all in first position. Written as a duet with a cello continuo part but this edition includes a piano part as well.
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Klengel Sonatina in C
A free cello sonatina that is all in closed (!) first position. Rather rare for not including extended first position, this sonatina has slightly complicated rhythm, making it a great piece for older learners.