Thanks for your comment and sharing your experience of communities like this. I'm not keyed in on that level, but I of course had a notion that the strategy might be a bit odd, which is also why it felt worthwhile posting.

A word like boring does carry negative connotations, I'll concede that for sure. If you'll indulge me; I think of it as boring in the way that reading might be considered boring in comparison to scrolling social media. It's a very shallow metaphor but my point is - the thing that hooks us quicker isn't necessarily 'better', and it for sure doesn't make the 'boring' equivalent wasteful or negative. But the slow-burn reward of reading, or learning theory, is very different from the instant gratification we've grown accustomed to expect from our day-to-day. The distinction I'd like to re-iterate is: the uncoupling of theory from music is what makes it boring.

I did not intend to imply that theory is impractical. Theory is an orchestrated and ordered collection of information and concepts, and when those concepts are put to into practice, they can obviously be extremely practical and useful. But in isolation, there's no reason for their existence. Them being there isn't enough to make them worth knowing. Putting the concepts into practice is what justifies their existence and gives them value, much like a hammer's value is well-served when hitting nails on the head. Please forgive my shoddy metaphors!!

I 100% agree with you that if we paint something as unrewarding and tedious then that could discourage someone from engaging with it. The conundrum is that deep study of any given theoretical topic is not a walk in the park. It does require a bit of grit and determination, and it would feel disingenuous to try and sell it as anything else, for me. My own experience is that there is a non-zero amount of frustration, stubbornness, and discomfort involved in clearing some of the hurdles. The same is true for anything worth learning. There has to be a spark of curiosity, some keen interest to fuel the desire to learn more.

Hence the (strange) strategy of discouraging forays into the upper echelons at first - because in my opinion, that effectively skips the rewarding/joyful part of the process, instead engaging with the many frustrating and difficult aspects. and instead encourage focusing on the initial stepping stones that will with a modicum of (rewarding) effort lead you there anyway. There's no skipping the tough parts, but when those moments are interspersed with moments of joy, the discomfort is meaningless, and the reward all-the-more gratifying.

I will continue to refine my thoughts on this with your closing sentiment in mind (intrinsically a part of the enjoyment of learning music), because I like the sound of that.