Is this you?
Your next piano student is due any minute, and you’re sitting in your teaching studio, awaiting their arrival.
You answer the door, and there they stand, empty-handed.
A wave of dread washes over you as their parent sheepishly apologizes.
Your student forgot their sheet music!
OK first of all, this happens to me SO regularly.
And I’m sure that it’s happened to you as well! I used to stress over these kind of lessons so much. I wouldn’t know what to do, especially when it was a student preparing for an exam. Or, worst of all, just before the recital!Â
But secondly, I can help.
If I just described you then I know how helpless and stressed you might feel when presented with this situation. Any lesson plan you had is out of the window, and it’s time to improvise!Â
Fortunately there are so many music skills we can work on that don’t require the student’s music. I’ve faced this situation countless times throughout my teaching career, and it’s become second nature to respond quickly. I always have a repertoire of engaging activities ready to go!
A lesson without sheet music is an excellent opportunity to hone your student’s listening skills. To improve their rhythm and beat competency, have them clap along to you playing at various tempos and time signatures. Or, challenge them to sing back a short, simple melody after you’ve played it.
Here are a few other go to activities for no-music lessons:
- practice sight reading!Â
- work on the non-piece exam requirements: memorise scales, technical exercises etc.
- quickly print some music that your student can learn in one lesson (such as music from The Piano Teacher’s Music Vault 👀)
The great news is you already have so many skills, and so much of the knowledge that you need to make lessons with forgotten music easier for you.
And if you join me in The Piano Teacher’s Music Vault membership, I’ll equip you with the tools, resources and ideas you need to easily handle lessons with no plan.
Doors open soon – click here to get on the waitlist