I suspect this was basically AJ's message to those who sought his guidance.

[bloke]

There's no denying that, but I made/make no claim that any individual (no matter how "quick a study" they are) is going to automatically pick up and do anything amazingly well (and in the most advantageous ways) right off the bat...if no directed instruction, then through either imitation or instruction or imitation of a closely-related skillset.

I can play saxophones "somewhat" and produce (actually) and near-marketable sound from being around many expert players/recordings, physically repairing their mechanics (whereby they have been available, and also available for intense perusal) and via very basic classroom instruction (ie. a one-semester "woodwind instruments class" whereby I paid attention to all the detailed instruction and tips offered forth).
IF (??) I manage to get this 102-year-old bass saxophone put back together - and spend time playing scales, arpeggios, basic etudes, and songs-by-ear, I just might gain a modest level of expertise - particularly since I already understand "music". ...This is not "natural", and nor is it "talent"...

...but there are ways to gain knowledge and expertise - regarding specific sophisticated skill-sets - other than it being "spoon-fed" and supervised by a live/in-person-or-zoom expert on a weekly (or however often) basis.

We she old enough to be licensed - and deemed a safe/insurable driver, my 9th-grader granddaughter could sit in and play most anywhere (horn...ok...perhaps her Dad's orchestra in Pittsburgh might judge her as not-quite-ready to sub for them, etc.), but she didn't start out (several years ago - with her small-circle-design single F horn) playing as she does now...She's far-and-away in the upper percentile of high school-aged horn players, but she's not a "natural" player, as (again) there's no such thing.

multiple routes towards success as well as rates of speed.png (164.83 KiB) Viewed 323 times

[MikeS]

Most people who went to AJ were advanced players either with problems or seeking "the next level".
I'm convinced that his primary message was (as with the meme) to figure out what to do, master doing it, and then stop thinking about doing it and just concentrate on the sound and the phrasing (eventually "living in" the sound and phrasing, rather than even having to constantly monitor those high-level aspects of playing).

I really enjoy the videos where Benjamin Zander works with players on interpretation. In this one, on trumpet in Mahler 5, the first time the trumpet player does it I thought, “That’s really good.” Without once talking about the mechanics of trumpet playing, it’s amazing how much better it gets. It was @bloke ’s comment about living in the phrasing that made me think of this video. At one point Zander tells the trumpet player that his greatest enemy is the ease with which he plays the trumpet.

I like Zander’s quote about half way through where he says, “Classical music is the most powerful language of the human soul, but the music business thinks it’s about playing the f#$&ing trumpet.”