top of page
Musician

research talks and clinical workshops

research talks

Egotism, Elitism, and the Ethics of Musical Humility

World Music Pedagogy

Cultural Humility in Music Education

This presentation is about the study of humility as an artistic virtue for musicians and music educators. Initiated through a critique of egotism, elitism, and other artistic vices, I propose musical humility to be a potentially transformational approach to realizing a more meaningful musical life with others. Humility empowers musicians to prioritize collaboration over self-interest, encourage the well-being and care of others, and uplift those with whom they share in a given musical experience.

This presentation offers concrete strategies for diversifying school music studies through the World Music Pedagogy framework. Topics include (a) finding and selecting repertoire; (b) diversifying repertoire and curriculum without tokenizing, othering, or essentializing other cultures; (c) designing short- and long-term musical pathways that include improvisation, composition, and other forms of creative expression; and (d) approaching world music studies from a learner's (i.e., non-expert) perspective.

Cultural humility has gained traction as a potentially transformative construct in social justice work, compelling practitioners to engage in a lifelong process of self-critique as they recognize the limitations of their personal knowledge, practice openness toward others, and actively interrupt systemic inequities. Whereas the related construct of cultural competence has been critiqued for endorsing a sense of teacher neutrality and earned mastery, cultural humility instead beckons practitioners to directly confront matters of power, privilege, and equity. From a theoretical lens, we argue that cultural humility uniquely compels practitioners toward transformative change through intrapersonal reflection and interpersonal engagement with others. We further discuss common shortcomings that may arise from practicing cultural humility incompletely—including armchair activism, performative allyship, and dehumanization.

Audience:

  • High School

  • Undergraduate/Graduate

  • Professional Development

  • Community Music Organizations

Length:

  • 20–60 mins

Specific Sub-Topics:

  • Instrumental World Music Pedagogy

  • World Music Pedagogy in Higher Education

  • Elementary World Music Pedagogy (Elementary focus)

Audience:

  • Undergraduate/Graduate

  • Professional Development

  • Community Music Organizations

Length:

  • 60–90 mins

Audience:

  • Undergraduate/Graduate

  • Professional Development

  • Community Music Organizations

Length:

  • 60–90 mins

clinical workshops

Improving Ourselves Over Proving Ourselves: Teaching and Learning Musical Humility

World Music Pedagogy

 in
Instrumental Music Education, 
Higher Education, or
Elementary Music Education

Cultural Humility in Music Education

Although most people agree that humility is an important response to egotism and elitism in music participation, little is understood about how it might be taught or developed among musicians and music educators. In this workshop, I combine theoretical and empirical insights toward the practical development of humility in various music settings.

This workshop offers concrete strategies for diversifying school music studies through the World Music Pedagogy framework. Topics include (a) finding and selecting repertoire; (b) diversifying repertoire and curriculum without tokenizing, othering, or essentializing other cultures; (c) designing short- and long-term musical pathways that include improvisation, composition, and other forms of creative expression; and (d) approaching world music studies from a learner's (i.e., non-expert) perspective.

A cultural humility learning experience (developed by Coppola & Taylor, 2022) will comprise both direct discussions about cultural humility and complementary topics on positionality, intersectionality, social equity, and critical pedagogy. Workshop participants will discuss scenarios in which cultural humility might be useful in their own professional or personal lives. Participants will also explore their intersectional identities in order to explore how power and privilege influence various aspects of their personal lives. Finally, participants will engage in personal reflection as they consider the benefits of practcing cultural humility in their personal and professional lives.

Audience:

  • High School

  • Undergraduate/Graduate

  • Professional Development

  • Community Music Organizations

Length:

  • 60–120 mins

Audience:

  • High School

  • Undergraduate/Graduate

  • Professional Development

  • Community Music Organizations

Length:

  • 60 mins – full day workshop

Audience:

  • High School

  • Undergraduate/Graduate

  • Professional Development

  • Community Music Organizations

Length:

  • 60 mins – full day workshop

Contact

Contact me for interest in workshops or research talks

Thanks for submitting!
bottom of page