And here I thought the most rewarding is teaching the most advanced students, since if you can teach advanced students, you can teach all other levels?
The student(s) reach grade 7 - Bach P&E in C minor from wtc1, Chopin Nocturne, Debussy Prelude, one movement from a Mozart sonata (they don't allow whole sonatas to be played at this level)
Grade 8 - Albeniz Evocacion from Iberia book1, Chopin Nocturne/Waltz, Bach Prelude and Fugue, one movement from Mozart/Beethoven Sonata
Amus (associate diploma) - Beethoven Sonata in F major, Mozart K330/332, Shostakovich Prelude and Fugue Op87 no2/4, Albeniz El Puerto from Iberia book 1, Brahms Op118/2.
Lmus (Licentiate diploma) Very advanced level. Shostakovich Prelude and Fugue Op87/24, Samuel Barber Excursion no1, Chopin Fantasie Op49, Scriabin Op8/12 (a lot of interpretations for this), Chopin Etude Op10/9, Mozart Sonata. Better option - send them to another teacher. To get this qualification, you must have perfect rhythm, tempo, and phrasing. You gotta be at a Horowitz/Richter/Argarich level to have a chance.
In Australia we have AMEB (Australian music Examination Board), it goes by level from Preliminary to LMus and there's pieces on the list to choose from. If you get a lot of students, just assign the same pieces?
I can teach people how to learn and memorize pieces. You'd be surprised at just how easy it is to memorize Liszt Sonata (100% of pianists can memorize it). Just because it's easy to memorize does not mean it's easy; memorizing is just a new beginning to explore possibilities. That's one of the things I can offer. Taking things to the next level, another teacher will take care of that.
Oh yeah, another thing that gets me. I play slower than a recording, that means, they're right and I'm wrong? A piece that you hear from a recording plays at 4:54, you play at 6:00. I got it all wrong. It's too slow. Why? Recording is right and I'm wrong. I find myself asking this question too. They say it's not a race, and it feels like one.
Good recordings that are never wrong
Chopin - Vladimir Ashkenazy
Liszt Sonata (huge selection) - Yundi Li
Liszt Transcendental Etudes - Berezovsky, Lugansky
La Campanella - Yundi Li
Paganini Etudes - don't know of any so far
Scriabin Op8/12 - Horowitz
Mozart Sonatas - Andras Schiff
Beethoven Sonatas - Wilhelm Kempff, Brendel (since I have it)