The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to examine the intersections of music making and teaching for four string teachers. Data included background surveys, three interviews per participant, videotaped classroom observations (jointly viewed during the second interview), and a focus group interview that included music making. Findings revealed that the meanings participants attributed to their past music-making experiences mirrored their beliefs about why their students make music and informed their content knowledge. Music making outside the classroom had personal and professional benefits; participants described music making as something that provided renewed excitement and inspiration, increased compassion toward students as musical learners, was a catalyst for solving pedagogical problems, and maintained their ability to model for their students. Participants' music making inside the classroom helped them to be more present in their teaching. They also used music making to inspire their students and themselves, to bring students' attention to the teacher and the music, to gain credibility, to model technique and musicality, and to create a culture based on the love of making music.