Thanks for the suggestions!

I would recommend that you start at the annual level (as Stengel said) and decide what your students have to know by the end of each year. Then break that down by semester or quarter, using your concerts as benchmark points during your year. When you know what knowledge and skills the kids need for your winter concert pieces, then it becomes much easier to start making plans. Personally, I generally plan down to the week level, to stay focused on target concepts rather than activities. This also gives me flexibility to deal with unforeseen hurdles such as student learning hangups and late-breaking school events.

I’m a little surprised to read that you don’t use lesson plans. Have you tried mapping out your goals? What do you want your students to know or be able to do by the end of the year, or by the time they graduate from your program? Is it possible to create some progressive goals to reach during the course of the year? I’ve found it very helpful to have a vision for what you want your graduates to accomplish and get them there with a stepping stone approach.