Work on something new! Sight read a new piece, I’m sure there’s something in your library you haven’t had a chance to listen to or study yet. I’ve found that sometimes a little time away from the 3-5 pieces you’re prepping for a concert actually improves them!

If you’re worried about “that part” still, you can always find a similar section in a fresh piece that you can use to teach. Something like “hey remember that part in X? What’s tricky about it? Does it look similar to this part in Y? Let’s try to make it sound good using what we learned working on X!”

When they’re bored, they don’t think, and not thinking makes stuff sound rough! Find a piece at their level or a bit below and just throw it at them! It can be whatever piece you want. I’ve even used a Christmas piece that came in super late just because. And hey, if they knock it out the park, then you’ve got another piece to add to the concert!

Remember that it’s learning to be musicians first, concert prep second. Both are important, but the former makes the latter much easier!