After you’ve been playing for a while and feel comfortable with first position scales and basic rhythms, you’re probably ready for a longer, more demanding piece. These student concertos for the violin offer the perfect balance of playability and musicality to challenge your technique. All of these concertos are in first position, but don’t be fooled. There’s plenty here to challenge you and take you to the next level of your playing!

Now there are lots of free student violin concertos in the public domain. I find that many of these really easy violin concertos don’t offer a lot musically. They sound like a collection of first position notes, not a real piece of music. The following beginner violin concertos are concertos I actually teach to all of my violin students. They offer beautiful melodies and sweeping harmonies while being approachable to beginner violinists.

Let’s get started!

1.Rieding Concerto in B Minor, Op. 35

Gorgeous, sweeping melodies invoke a dark and stormy night on the English countryside. At least that’s what I see! This student violin concerto is all in 1st position, but it features quite a few accidentals and quick 8th note passages. The second movement is in 6/8 time is lyrical and beautiful and the final 3rd movement is a flashy, rollicking bit of fun!

When to learn Rieding Concerto in B Minor?

I teach this concerto when students are in the middle or towards the end of Suzuki Book 2. You will want to be familiar with the common key signatures in 1st position and have a good grasp of bow technique.

Download the free PDF Sheet Music for Rieding Violin Concerto, Op. 35 Here!

2. Adolf Huber Student Violin Concerto No. 4, Op.8

This lovely concerto is all in first position, allowing you to work on musicality while working on first position. It offers a nice blend of flowing melodies and quick 16th notes passages. The ending features several double stop passages which sound difficult and flashy, but offer an easy introduction to playing two strings at once. This is a great student violin concerto that is approachable but still has plenty of technique to build your playing.

When to learn Huber’s Student Violin Concerto No. 4?

You’ll want to be fairly comfortable and fluent in first position. I teach this student concerto after Rieding B minor and somewhere around the end of Suzuki Book 2 .

Download the free PDF Sheet Music for Huber Student Violin Concerto, No.4 Here!

3. Leo Portnoff Concertino in E minor, Op. 13

For students who like the dark, luscious sound of Romantic era composers like Bruch and Rachmaninov, this student violin concerto hits pretty close to the mark, all while staying in first position! Some of my students dislike the typical “happy” sound of student violin concertos. I always direct those students to this concerto.

When to learn Portnoff Violin Concerto?

This concerto works well for students at the end of Suzuki Book 2.

Download the free PDF Sheet Music for Portnoff Violin Concerto in E minor Here!

4. Seitz Student Violin Concerto No. 2, Opus 13

This violin concerto is a beginner standard. It’s completely in first position but offers plenty to master, including a cadenza, more challenging double, triple, and quadruple stops, trills, and more. The second movement is absolutely gorgeous and is one of my favorite slow movements from the long list of student violin concertos. The second movement (Adagio) is actually a little more approachable than the first movement, so it’s a great place to start.

When to learn Seitz Student Concerto No. 2?

Part of this concerto is actually in Suzuki Book 4 (but it omits the beautiful 2nd movement, why?). However, I think this concerto is in many ways easier than some of the songs in Suzuki Book 3. If you want to master first position before dabbling with third position, this is a great concerto for you.

Download the free PDF Sheet Music for Seitz Student Violin Concerto, No.2 Here!

5. Hans Millies Violin Concertino in D major

This concertino is in the style of Mozart, making it one of my absolute favorite student violin concertos. I get so excited when I get to teach this piece because very few student violin concertos offer the real “Mozart” sound. But this one does! It’s all in first position. While it doesn’t seem as challenging as Seitz No. 2, this concerto is on another level in terms of musicality. It takes a more refined approach, light bow strokes, and an attention to small details. If you love the Classical style, you’ll love this concerto!

When to learn Millies Violin Concertino in D major?

While I normally wait to teach Millies after Seitz No. 2, and around the time students are playing Suzuki Book 3, you could learn this concerto earlier if you are a big fan of Mozart or if you want a concerto with a more “mature” sound.