I teach at my students' homes and for the 2nd Tuesday in a row, I am having to cancel due to inclement weather (6-12 inches of snow tonight-sigh.....).

Do any of you give your students assignments by phone? I worry that the students will fall back a few steps when they miss a week and wonder if giving them a new piece to sightread or theory to work on will keep their minds moving.

Thanks,
Gisele

I don't give assignments over the phone, but the students come to me, so I don't feel as you do about their missing a lesson. I do think it's a good idea, however! One idea is to ask them to go back and review one or two of their favorite songs of the book that they've already learned. I read somewhere that up to 30% of practice time should be spent on review. (How many of us do that?) Also, if they have a sight reading book, you could easily assign the next section in that. Depending on the student, though, they may not be able to handle a new lesson.

I will email students new assignments or homework, if needed. It's more convenient than calling.

I prefer talking with my students in case they have any questions, also it is more personal to talk to a person than e mailing. I wouldn't hesitate to give an assignment over the phone given the circumstances.

Gisele - do you have your students maintain repertoire? If not, now might be a good time to think about it, because this is a situation where you could capitalize on them having repertoire.

Regardless of the student's level, they will profit from having pieces ready to play, and pieces which they continue to refine. The former, because pianists always find themselves in situations where they are called on to play something, and the latter, because it takes time for the body to refine its playing mechanism (read The Talent Code which is the subject of another thread here, for a deeper understanding of the why of this).

My suggestion is to work with them a few minutes on the telephone; you can list the works they have in their repertoire. If you're patient, you could even listen to them over the phone. But at least you can outline a study plan for them to follow each day between now and the next lesson. You can ask questions, especially 'why' questions about problems they are having.

If they are rank beginners, have them go back to the beginning of their method book, and play each and every piece you've worked on several times. There may be 'Ah ha' moments as they do so.

John