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Musical Humility

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Musical Humility © Copyright 2018 William J. Coppola Musical Humility: An Ethnographic Case Study of a Competitive High School Jazz Band William J. Coppola A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Washington 2018 Reading Committee: Patricia Shehan Campbell, Chair Steven J. Morrison James A. Banks Shannon Dudley Program authorized to offer degree: Music University of Washington Abstract Musical Humility: An Ethnographic Case Study of a Competitive High School Jazz Band William J. Coppola Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Patricia Shehan Campbell School of Music In any form, musical participation is an intimately social activity. Yet, as musicians unflinchingly commit their fullest selves to shared musical collaborations, the natural human penchant for self-interest inevitably comes along for the journey, threatening to compromise collectivistic desires with more egocentric comportments. Undeniably, the ego plays an inextricable—and at times antagonistic—role in the negotiation of musicians’ performed identities. But as pervasive as the ego may be throughout various spheres of musical practice, it has yet to become a topic of empirical music research. In response to this gap in the literature, the purpose of the current study was to contribute an initial understanding of humility’s role in musical participation. This research utilized an ethnographic case study (including non-participant observation and interviews as the primary means of data collection) over the course of six months to examine the presence of prosocial and antisocial behaviors among the students and director of a competitive high school jazz band in the Pacific Northwest. First, three broad themes of musical egoism were identified: (a) seeking and desiring superiority, (b) displays of self-importance, self-promotion, and self-orientation, and (c) an inflated self- view. These emergent egoistic behaviors became central to uncovering socially desirable displays of humility in following. A five-component definition of humility particular to musical participation was consequently established, resulting in a nascent construct referred to as musical humility. Its classification is generated by the interactions between interpersonal, intrapersonal, social, and musical domains: (a) purposeful musical engagement and collaboration, (b) a lack of superiority, (c) the acknowledgement of shortcomings and learnability, (d) other-orientedness, and (e) healthy pride. Evidence suggests that each of these components interact fluidly with one another, but with healthy pride emanating throughout all facets of the virtue in order to support a concept which is socially empowering rather than disparaging. This initial step in musical humility research contributes a musical perspective to the growing ontology of ‘humilities’ currently identified within the field of social psychology, including general humility, intellectual humility, cultural humility, organizational humility, and others. Specifically, the research posits that musical experiences rooted in humility enable the enhancement of both musical and social relationships. Ultimately, the model is envisioned as a potential exemplar for cultivating egalitarian, hospitable, and other-oriented ways of being not only within music participation, but society more broadly. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 SETTING THE STAGE: A MUSICAL CALL FOR HUMILITY ........................................................ 1 A Historical Vignette ................................................................................................................... 1 Music and the Pervasive Ego..................................................................................................... 4 Jazz: A Negotiation Between Self and Other ..........................................................................................4 Humility: A Matter of Personal & Collective Responsibility ............................................ 9 Responsibility to Self ...................................................................................................................................... 10 Responsibility to Others ............................................................................................................................... 12 Responsibility to the Musical Tradition ................................................................................................ 13 Identifying the Problem ........................................................................................................... 15 Purpose & Research Questions .............................................................................................. 17 Overview, Scope, and Limitations ......................................................................................... 18 CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE: PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR, HUMILITY, AND EGOISM ...... 21 Prosocial Behavior .................................................................................................................... 22 What is Prosocial Behavior? ....................................................................................................................... 22 Motivations for Prosocial Behavior ........................................................................................................ 27 The Subjectivities of Prosocial Behavior .............................................................................................. 30 Prosocial (and Antisocial) Behavior in Music .................................................................................... 33 Virtues and Vices: Humility and Egoism.............................................................................. 34 Empirical and Theoretical Definitions of Humility and Egoism ................................................ 34 Shortcomings with Definitions of Humility ......................................................................................... 42 A Multifaceted Construct: Multiple Forms of Humility ................................................................. 45 The Benefits of Humility and the Perniciousness of Egoism ...................................................... 50 Personalities and Leadership Roles Among Musicians ................................................... 54 Personality Traits of Instrumental Musicians .................................................................................... 54 Leadership Traits Among Musicians ...................................................................................................... 55 Conclusions.................................................................................................................................. 56 i CHAPTER 3 METHOD AND CONTEXT............................................................................................................... 57 Methodological Framework .................................................................................................... 57 An Alternative Research Strategy ............................................................................................................ 57 Rationale .............................................................................................................................................................. 59 Ethnography and Music-as-Culture ........................................................................................................ 61 Instrumental Case Study .............................................................................................................................. 65 Research Setting & Context: Grant High School................................................................. 66 Sampling ............................................................................................................................................................... 66 Grant High School and the Jazz Program .............................................................................................. 67 Data Collection ........................................................................................................................... 78 Non-Participant Observation ..................................................................................................................... 78 Interviews............................................................................................................................................................ 82 Material Culture ................................................................................................................................................ 84 Identifying Egoism and Humility in the Field .................................................................................... 85 Researcher Reflexivity and Positionality ............................................................................................. 86 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................... 87 Coding & Selection of Emergent Themes ............................................................................................. 87 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 88 CHAPTER 4 AN ETHNOGRAPHY OF A NATIONALLY-RECOGNIZED HIGH SCHOOL JAZZ BAND ........ 89 Arriving at Grant High School ................................................................................................
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