Can you teach me how music works?

This is one of the things I feel very strongly about. My aim is not to teach people how to pass exams or play from rote. I want my pupils to understand how music works, and how to make it work for them. I always tell my pupils that my aim is to “get rid of them” – not in a nasty way, of course! What I mean is that I want my pupils to get to the point where they no longer need me, because they have a good grasp not only of the technical side of playing their chosen instrument, but also of how music works.