The importance of good sight reading skills in youth orchestra auditions cannot be underestimated. With all things being equal, the better sight reader will outrank the inferior one. Many auditions include a sight-reading component directly — students are handed unfamiliar music on the spot and asked to play it. Strong sight readers also learn their prepared audition pieces faster and more accurately — and once they’re accepted into orchestra, they pick up new orchestra music more quickly too.
Beginning Students
I Can Read Music by Joanne Martin is an excellent starting point for beginners developing note-reading skills. Volume 1 introduces rhythm and pitch separately — rhythm exercises use open strings while pitch exercises focus on basic finger patterns in quarter notes. By introducing notes and rhythm separately, students can internalize note reading and rhythms more efficiently, leading to better retention. Volume 2 builds on that foundation by combining rhythm and pitch, and includes duets for students to play together. It can also be used as a beginner note-reading book for older students starting later.
With younger students, I find it’s important not to overwhelm them with sight reading. I’ll usually assign just a line or two each lesson, building the skill gradually rather than all at once.
Intermediate Students
Sevcik’s Forty Variations, Op. 3 offers exercises in various keys useful for anyone preparing for youth orchestra auditions. Another option is Wohlfahrt’s 60 Studies for the Violin, Op. 45, which similarly gives violinists experience playing in different keys.
Hymnals are another underused resource. Lutheran, Baptist, and Methodist hymnals tend to include many flats, while Catholic hymnals often have fewer flats — making Catholic hymnals a good starting point before moving on to books with more challenging key signatures.
Using Position Work as Sight Reading Practice
Sight reading practice doesn’t have to come from a dedicated book. For students learning a new position, I’ll assign exercises in that position and treat them as sight reading, since the notes and finger patterns are unfamiliar. I currently do this with a couple of students learning third position — the exercises challenge their sight reading while reinforcing the new position at the same time. This approach works for practicing sight reading in any new position, not just third.
Advanced Students
Orchestral Excerpts From the Symphonic Repertoire for Violin by Josef Gingold comes in three volumes. Like the books above, it provides practice in various keys, and also gives aspiring orchestral players experience reading high notes.
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