When I tell people that I play and teach guitar for a living they make the understandable assumption that I teach electric guitar and that I play in a band. So I politely correct them and explain that I play solo acoustic guitar. Of course the next assumption is that I sing folk songs at coffee houses. Nope! I've done that in the past but it's not what I do now. So I go on to say that I play classical music. "You know.... like Bach, Beethoven, and those guys." This conversation is fairly routine and I have to remind myself that their assumptions are normal and my occupation is not. This is not the time to be sarcastic.
The sad part is that the reverse is often true also. Many guitar teachers do, in fact, play in bands and assume that all of their students wish to do the same. So they start right out teaching their students to play chords and sing. But one size does not fit all. Many students, young and old, have no desire to sing. They want to play guitar the way their friends play piano. Just play melody and harmony together.
When I work with adults, and particularly seniors, they can become apologetic about having little or no previous musical experience. "I'll probably never play in any concerts", they say as if that were the only reasonable outcome. Their goals are always very modest. Some see music as a social function only. To be able to join in with others when they play. It's a noble goal and I will do everything I can to help them meet it, but it's also aiming low. There is so much more they can do.
When I mention classical music they become wary. And I don't blame them. When you hear a concert artist cut loose it is pretty intimidating. But you're hearing the result of years and years of long practice days and the experience of performing those pieces in front of an audience. There are many wonderful pieces of music that don't have the "razzle-dazzle" of a concert piece but are within reach of most students and are fun to play.
So I get the privilege of introducing the students to a new way to play (or at least new to them) and guide them through a whole new repertoire. Additionally I introduce them to "finger-style" guitar which is similar to classical but applied to popular songs instead.
Becoming involved with the arts and learning how to do something does not have a defined goal. There is no conclusion. It's not like painting a fence or learning how to make toast. With art the involvement IS the goal. No matter how good you get you still feel like you really don't know that much. That's true for all of us. That's the curse and the blessing. As frustrating as it may be some days (and believe me when I say that there are times I just want to set fire to my guitar and walk away), if I knew all there was to know I would quickly get bored and quit.
There are many studies that show the benefits of playing music in our "senior" years. I know they mean well, but frankly I don't care. I'm less interested in doing something that's good for me and more interested in having fun and enriching my life. Art in general and music specifically does that for me.... both as a player and as a teacher.