Students

I give private lessons out of my home in a bedroom converted into a music studio.  Basically, for me, that meant putting a piano and desk in there and filling the closet with instruments.
These lessons last a half an hour and range in ability and instruments, but a few things always remain the same.  My high energy approach, how much I desperately want to prove myself as an instructor and how great the kids are.
Each student is unique and bring different talents and challenges to the table.  That statement is a no-brainer to any person who has ever been around more than two people.  It is my job to fix the challenges.  Holding your instrument wrong can cause arthritis, so I fix that.  I fix mouth placement (embouchure, for those in the know) so there aren't any tonal problems.  I fix breathing control.  I fix rhythms, fingerings, note names. 
I teach basic music theory.  We memorize scales, followed by arpeggios, relative minors and etudes in those keys. 
In lessons, I talk fast and tell jokes.  I sing opera.  I clap and dance and stomp.  I have weird sayings like "sit like you are having tea with the queen" (usually followed with "the queen is not impressed with your posture!").  It's really exciting and exhausting for me and hopefully the student.
 But my most important job is to encourage kids to love music, and more specifically, the instrument they have in their hands.  It is my job to high five the flute player who finally hit that high G.  It's my job to flip out when someone plays an etude perfectly the first time.  It's my job to let these kids know that it's important to keep working because of how fun and amazing playing can be.
I worry sometimes that I don't teach them well enough, that someone down the road is going to tell them how stupid I was to teach them this way or that.  I hate when I disappoint parents who think their kids should be improving faster.  I hate when a student gets frustrated.  But it's all worth it when they do something they thought they would never get.  
The kids I get in lessons are usually pretty awesome and don't need a lot of convincing.  That isn't to say that we don't have issues that always need worked out (I would be out of a job if they got good that fast!) but they listen, they practice and they learn.  They are already interested in music and excelling.  This week I've had the opportunity to watch many of them perform.  The middle school band concert had old students and new who all played beautifully.  Today, Singing Across Nebraska featured my students singing instead of playing.  
I always tell the kids I teach I'm going to show up to their concerts with a big foam finger and root them on.  Someday I'll invest in one of those.