Do you remember before it was easy?
I’m listening to the Michigan All-State Jazz Choir tune a sharp nine chord right now and the conductor asked if anyone knew what part of the chord they were singing. I said to the accompanist, “Do you remember when you didn’t automatically know what all the parts of that chord were?”
I paid many dues learning to analyze chords on sight and by ear. I can look at a six part chord and there is no gap between seeing and analyzing. But when I was in my undergrad, my scores were covered with painstaking analysis I completed whenever I wasn’t singing. Slooooooooowly.
For me, whenever I’m teaching a concept that’s solid for me, I try to put myself in that space. Exactly when it was the opposite of automatic.
There’s very little in life that comes completely naturally; everything else has taken work. Appreciating the work, and seeing the gap between then and now, makes me a better educator.