Theme and Variations on a Virtue: Humility as a Multidimensional Construct in Music Education

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: Equity in Music Education

Abstract

Humility is an important social virtue for musicians as they expose their own egos in the pursuit of artistic self-expression. Research has confirmed that humility is an important virtue of strength that lends itself to prosocial and ethical interactions among musicians and music educators. Although underexamined in music, humility has been widely studied within the social sciences, including specific sub-forms that may become highlighted within various social contexts. In this paper, I present research on some such forms of humility that might arise from the unique social situations of musicians and music educators. In seeking to develop their own humility, musicians may relinquish their naturally egocentric self-interest in favor of more meaningful musical experiences to be shared by all.

Author

• William J. Coppola, University of Southern California