Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Egotism, Elitism, and the Ethics of Musical Humility

Egotism, Elitism, and the Ethics of Musical Humility

Coppola, William J.

Hardcover

PhilosophyGeneral MusicMusic Theory

ISBN10: 019769294X
ISBN13: 9780197692943
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: May 23 2025
Pages: 336
Weight: 1.40
Height: 1.10 Width: 6.30 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
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.

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