I made a mistake.  I had a teenage student who was involved in many different musical instruments and organizations.  I assumed she also had plenty of piano experience.  (My bad for not asking clearer questions).  So I assigned really really really hard pieces.  The stuff that you play only after years of lessons.

And guess what?  She rose to the challenge.  She learned those hard pieces.  And played them beautifully, I might add. 

It wasn’t until months after she started taking lessons that I somehow realized she only had (maybe) 6 months of piano experience.  My first thought was to scale back, and give her easier pieces.  But I stopped myself from that instinct.  I continued to give her hard pieces and she continued to rise to the challenge.

No doubt, her other musical experience helped her learn these pieces so well.  But, don’t you think that maybe she also did so well because I expected it of her?   I think when we expect the best, we get it.  I don’t advise teachers to go out and assign ridiculously advanced pieces for all beginning students, but I do think taking risks and pushing students can have great advantages.  As long as we never push too hard, of course.