I'm just curious. In the past, I've had teachers who would devote a some of the lesson to scales and exercises, part of it to theory and the rest to performing pieces. My current teacher just assigns me pieces and spends the total lesson time analyzing what I'm doing right and wrong. Is this typical?

What do you do during your lessons?

1) Talk to student. Listen.

2) Check over student's notebook to see what we've been doing lately.

3) Begin with either: what seems to be in danger of neglect; or what the student most wants to play; or what we didn't start with last time.

4) Listen to student play, watch technique and listen to musical stuff. Don't interrupt.

5) Begin with what was good, and then work on what needs improving.

Try to cover: Scales and exercises as needed, sight reading, repertoire.

Repertoire can also be used for technical improvement.

Al: My teacher usually has me start by playing what I've been working on that week. Each piece is analyzed afterwards. She will not typically interupt me unless it's a new piece and I miss something important. Then we discuss anything that I have questions about. Finally she'll have me sight read something that I've been working on more recently, or something totally new she wants me to learn. While I play she checks my music theory work book. I don't recall ever being asked to play a scale for her except when she shows me some new way to exercise, ie Hanon.
Jon