Replaceable and Dispensable. These two terms when applied as adjectives to a teacher could easily be interpreted to mean that the teacher is easily replaced by another or that music is not important so music instruction can be dispensed with.
I do believe that a teacher should be irreplaceable, but in a way dispensable. First of all, the reasons should be obvious about being irreplaceable. We want to be good teachers so that our students won't want to find another teacher. We should seek to pursue excellence in teaching and a good teacher/student relationships. A good relationship goes a long way to keeping a student.
On the other hand, one of our long term goals for any student should be that they don't need us anymore. Hence, the reason we should be dispensable. It is important that we teach them how to practice and go about learning a piece so that they don't need us anymore. Being able to get a student to that level of independence, is the sign of a good teacher.
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