This may be a bit late, but I was sent this explanation of the Dunning-Kruger effect by a work colleague. It perfectly explains the reason behind the look of incredulousness on the faces of people auditioning.
Kruger and Dunning noted … “ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge”. They hypothesized that with a typical skill which humans may possess in greater or lesser degree,
- Incompetent individuals tend to overestimate their own level of skill.
- Incompetent individuals fail to recognize genuine skill in others.
- Incompetent individuals fail to recognize the extremity of their inadequacy.
- If they can be trained to substantially improve their own skill level, these individuals can recognize and acknowledge their own previous lack of skill.
Makes me wonder whether I’m imagining my Rock Band skills now…