I always felt sorry for any percussionist whom an orchestra director corrected during rehearsals. When you're the only member of your section, and pages of music go by before you get to play, every passage you play carries so much weight.
I was impressed, during one such critique, when the conductor said to the orchestra, "People think it's easy to play this instrument. It's actually very difficult."
That was an impressive--and unexpected--display of compassion from the conductor, I thought.
