Music and Writing

In our class discussion on the role of the writing tutor on Wednesday, I suddenly saw a connection between two areas of my life that are influential in the formation of my identity but, until then, completely separate: music and writing.
As a piano student of over 15 years and a singer since I can remember, I have gone to countless music lessons, learned countless songs, and performed countless times. When I was in high school, I began to give piano lessons now and then, adding the role of teacher to my identity as a student. In becoming a writing consultant, I see this same process happening again, yet this time in a different arena. Not that I have mastered writing - or music for that matter - both disciplines are ones that take a lifetime or more to master, skills you can constantly be improving and perfecting. Yet imparting a love for the art of writing and music to others is a tricky yet rewarding thing. The question is do you cater to the piece of music/writing or to the student himself? Do you teach someone how to write this specific paper/play this specific song, or do you teach the student how to be a better writer/musician in general? More interestingly, does addressing the writing lead to becoming a better writer, or must you focus on skill sets solely?