I've got to put my Gershwin pieces to sleep for a while - I've played them at 3 concerts in the space of about a month and my family are SICK of hearing me practice them. I feel as if I know them well and if I ever get around to doing them for Diploma, it won't be before this Autumn at the very earliest.

So....
Any advice?
Is it wise to mothball them completely for a few months...or should I still drag them out and play through them once a week (when the family are not in!!).

My teacher's advice would be to leave them completely for a few months....we were discussing this the other day in relation to the higher grade exams. I must admit, I would find it very difficult not to play them once a week if they were going to be played in a forthcoming exam - I'd worry about having to relearn them completely, but she insists this wouldn't happen. She says that when you come back to a piece after letting it lie for a while, you can usually play it better than before - why's that I wonder ?

VERY interesting!!

My family will be delighted! I will smother them in Scarlatti for a while, and only bring Gershwin out again in the autumn!

I expect your subconscious digests them.

Not for me! If I leave it more than a month, I do have to relearn the piece. Everyone's different though. I'd experiment carefully. Try just playing them once a week. Then once every other week. Find out how long you PERSONALLY can go. Don't rely on another's experience because everyone is different.

Let them lie, but dust them off occasionally. I mothball repertoire all the time (as a singer) and it never takes that long to get them back.