Instrumental and vocal music education is an activity that most often starts with a newly found interest that a student wants to learn more about. Unfortunately some students stop in the beginning of their journey because the education in some cases will not mirror that inte- rest. The purpose of this essay is to find out how music teachers can construct their teaching to be focused on their students and the reason why they picked up an instrument in the first place. The focus of the essay is primarily on high school education and how teachers combine their students ́ interests with the demands of the school system. To achieve this, teachers and students were interviewed and the findings were later analysed through different pedagogical theories. The biggest conclusion was that the relationship between the teacher and the student had to be an open one, taking the students ́ influence into account. It also became clear that not all students can be fitted into the narrow school system and that teachers because of this sometimes need other ways to shed light on their students ́ knowledge. The essay brings an in-depth picture of students ́ influence on instrumental and vocal music education and how this can become a natural part of the teachers ́ work.