<p>I was in the midst of composing a post stating that I am in philosophical agreement with sagiter.</p>
<p>After reading violindad’s response, I deleted what I had written.</p>
<p>violindad articulated it far better than I could have.</p>
<p>To flute1298. My daughter has played duets in sample lessons as well. In fact, starting this past September DD’s private teacher has started each of their lessons with a duet for just that reason.</p>
<p>In my experience, taking in a piece that wasn’t completely “ready” made my earlier trial lessons more nerve-wracking than they needed to be. Maybe that’s just my personality, though.
Later on, when I had trial lessons where I played pieces I’d been working on for awhile, it was frustrating because I found that the teachers all pushed their own interpretations of pieces on me, and treated me as though I was unprepared because I wasn’t playing THEIR version of the piece (apparently Mozart flute concertos are really controversial). </p>
<p>…haha, maybe the teachers with whom I took trial lessons WERE prissy.</p>
<p>D used the strategy of bringing something with which she was - very - comfortable and which showed her strengths. And having something else well-prepared but not yet quite top shelf in her back pocket. She has learned that Bach, at least the way she plays him, can be controversial. </p>
<p>Risk taking is a wonderful thing. But probably not in a sample lesson.</p>