praise when due

Once a month AJ and AP have a performance class for piano where they meet with the other kids who take from their teacher. They play songs they have been working on that month for each other. Besides the practice they get performing, it's an opportunity for them to appreciate and compliment each others' progress. AP's comments are usually something like, "you really played that with style," or "that was a good beat even if you did miss a note," or things along those lines, but he never tells anyone "good job." So this month he was giving these same kinds of compliments until Nicole did her piece. When she finished and it was his turn to comment he said, "That was really good. And I'm not just saying that because you're a girl and I like you. Because I don't like you. So don't any of you (as he looks each of the other students in the eye, giving Brock, the only other boy, an especially long hard stare) think that I do. She just really did a good job."