 Although Mendelssohn attributed great importance to musical education , and made a substantial commitment to the Conservatoire he founded in Leipzig , he did not greatly enjoy teaching and undertook only a very few private pupils ; these he took only if he believed they had notable qualities or potential . Amongst such students were composer William Sterndale Bennett , the pianist Camille @-@ Marie Stamaty , the violinist and composer Julius Eichberg , and Walther von Goethe ( grandson of the poet ) . At the Leipzig Conservatoire Mendelssohn taught classes in composition and ensemble playing . 
