When I was a beginner, I liked being told 'You don't need to learn music theory', because what I heard was, 'You don't need to do this extra work'. In reality, music theory turned out to be a cheat sheet. You can use trial and error to figure composition out on your own, or you can ask other people what techniques they've learned. Their knowledge is music theory. Rather than being extra work, it saved me time.
Sometimes I think when we tell beginners 'You don't need to learn music theory', we unintentionally make their journey more challenging. Music theory isn't a walled path that forces you in one direction, music theory is the map that tells you where you are. I think it's pretty handy.
