Description
Egotism, Elitism, and the Ethics of Musical Humility examines how cultures of superiority pervade our musical lives and explores ways in which we can challenge them. Combining philosophical inquiry, empirical research, and pop culture examples, William J. Coppola takes a look at how striving for individual achievement can lead us to grow disconnected from one another--and how humility can help us restore our common humanity.To begin, Coppola critiques the damaging effects of egotism on individual musical development and highlights the importance of knowing one's strengths and limitations and engaging with other artists as equal partners. He then goes further, examining how institutional structures like racial oppression, gender inequity, and the neoliberal drive for continual growth and achievement perpetuate ideologies of elitism and exclusion. Ethical responsibility, he argues, extends beyond individual failings into confronting these systemic societal ailments. Finally, Coppola outlines the transformative potentials of musical humility as an empowering virtue for musicians and music educators to achieve the fullest artistic realization of themselves and others.Musical humility is more than just knocking ourselves down a peg from time to time; it is about uplifting ourselves--and others--to celebrate our shared humanity and artistic dignity. By embracing musical humility, musicians and music educators can contribute to social change by fostering self-reflection, facilitating dialogue, and embracing the ethical tensions inherent to our musical lives.
Table of Contents
PrologueChapter 1. Introduction: In Pursuit of an Artistic VirtuePart I: EgotismChapter 2. A Study of Artistic VicesChapter 3. Egotism as Artistic ViceChapter 4. Egotism and InadequacyPart II: ElitismChapter 5. From Individual to Structural VicesChapter 6. Elitism as Structural EgotismChapter 7. Elitism and ExclusionPart III: The Ethics of Musical HumilityChapter 8. A Study of Artistic VirtuesChapter 9. Musical Humility as an Artistic VirtueChapter 10. Healthy PrideChapter 11. Teaching and Learning Musical HumilityChapter 12. Structural Humility for Social ChangeNotesBibliographyIndex
