Embracing complexity is okay.
Do I contradict myself?
Walt Whitman, Song of Myself
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)
Go ahead and contradict yourself in rehearsal. Say forte means “strong, not loud” then bemoan a not-loud sound, no matter how strong. Expect long phrases by default and then suggest short phrases. Ask students to focus on their own parts and then criticize a lack of listening across the ensemble.
In short, introduce your students into a world that’s wider and more complex than the one they’re expecting. It’ll be hard, at first, to understand the contradictions; but in the end students will be better equipped for a complex world when they understand the complexities inside of music.