Teaching Music

I had a prospective student ask me if it was easy to learn music. I said there are three requirements, a teacher, an instrument and the desire. I know we have two of the three; only you can tell me if we have the third. Which is, I guess, a fancy way of saying, "you tell me". I'm sure you can teach music, I've done it for many years. But I'm also sure that it is really the student that teaches themselves. All the music teacher can do is hand over the rudiments, the basic vocabulary, put things in context, expose the student to some (good) influences and arrange some career connections. Actually learning how to play is still up to the student. But then I see a student from a bad teacher and I realize that there is a great deal a teacher can do to hinder a student!