Some advice please. I was informed last week that one of my piano pupils will be going to France for 6 months from September as part of an "exchange group". She is very bright and the mother is hoping that she will still be able to continue her piano lessons in France but expects me to write a list of things which her French piano teacher should teach her. Now, personally I feel a little uncomfortable about that. If she has piano lessons in France then I feel that her teacher there would teach in his/her own method and would probably not want to be "told" what to do by someone from another country. I've explained this to the mother and said that of course if she wanted me to write a letter stating what her daughter has been studying so far, the progress she has made, and the areas which I feel she needs to improve then I would be happy to do that. I just wondered what others think. Would that be an appropriate course of action? Naturally when she returns to London sometime next year she will be continuing lessons with me again.

She may find it a problem finding a piano teacher in France. Depending on where she is going there may be very few (if any) private teachers. Most children have lessons through a music school but you have to enroll in these in June to start in September and they are usually very oversubscribed for pianists and would not be interested in taking someone for only six months.

French teaching is also very different to English teaching - scales for instance are not taught routinely in the early stages (and by early stages I mean up until the equivalent of about grade 5 or 6).

And then there is, of course, the language problem...

Well, that's something which they will have to sort out themselves. I know very little about it but possibly the exchange visit includes music lessons. There wouldn't be a language problem because she is French so they always speak French at home. Sometimes there is a language problem between me and her when she can't understand what I am trying to explain to her. Fortunately the mother is usually around to do a translation.

My experience of teaching instrumental lessons in France has taught me that the situation is very very different from what goes on in England. I would think your pupil's best bet is to find out what local music schools there are in the area where she is going to stay. She may well find that she has to pass a test to be put in a "class" - it doesn't mean class teaching, it means, very roughly grade or level. She will probably be expected to attend two lessons a week, one of which will be called formation musicale - used to be called solfege - and this will be a class lesson. It is a sort of combination of theory and aural - usually much disliked by the French children though some progress in udating methods has happened. Depending on the size of the music school and itsconnections or otherwise with a regional conservatoire she will probably get 30 minutes a week piano, whatever her level and in some of the smaller or associative music schools she may be taught by an older student rather than a qualified teacher. But it all depends on where she is going to be. But the teaching methods are very different from what she will have experienced in England. There are no national standards here and hardly any private teachers. If she is going to be in Aquitaine you could try contacting Atara ben Tovim who is our local rep - you'll find her coordinates on the ABRSM website - and if the pupil falls in that area Atarah might know someone who does private lessons. Failing that try the representative for the Paris area.

Thanks for that information. All I know is that she will be going to Toulon. I have sent an email to EPTA so hopefully they might have some piano teachers in that area.

Being in France, I agree with Roseau and Aquarelle that the system is SO different that you really cannot do anything of much practical use so don't worry too much.

Personally, I would write a note, as you said, with what you've been studying in the last year - a list of pieces played etc. - and leave it at that.
I would add something along the lines of 'if you need any further information or if I can be of any of any further help, please feel free to contact me via . . . ' And then you've covered the bases and thay can get in touch if they really feel the need.

If the girl's parents are French then at least they will know the system and realise that, in all likelihood, there is very little chance of a 'continuity' of lessons.
After all, does the house she's going to have a piano ? Is it for the host family to find a teacher or the grils' family or the exchange association ? Will the host family agree ? (One of my pupils, G 4, who moved to the local music school, was given a 20 minute lesson slot at 8.40 pm on Friday night - no choice, take it or leave it).

However, six months learning in a different fashion may well be interesting . . .

I agree that it could be an interesting experience for her. I agree that it is worth giving a list of pieces and scales that she has studied recently. You also don't mention how advanced she is, as if she is still in the early up to grade 4 ish stages she may struggle more with the lack of continuity than if she is more advanced. I'd also mention to the parents that our methods are so very different and it would be helpful if privately she could keep scales etc ticking over.

The other issue is you, They just seem to assume that you will still have a space for her in 6 months time? I trust you will be charging a retainer

Thank you everyone for the information. I shall pass it all to the parents but hopefully they have everything in hand. It's all being organised through a joint venture between two schools, so I'm not really sure how much influence or input the parents actually have.