The Musicological Elite

Driven by a growing moral demand to challenge the Eurocentric, heteronormative, exclusionary, colonial, settler colonial, non-diverse, and white supremacist legacies of a discipline plagued by its rootedness in European classical musical traditions, they have recently accelerated their efforts to expand the traditional canon, reform curriculum, and explore new mediums for the dissemination of ideas (for example, "popular" internet blogs over expensive academic monographs). "1 Harvard Professors stressed that this change would create more "flexible pathways" through their program, eliminate the class-based implicit requirements to enter it, and, most importantly, allow for a greater diversity of students and student interests.2 Reactions to these plans on social media have been vehement and fiercely divided.3 That the standard curriculum in musicology programs has become an open wound or festering reminder of the labor injustice, class division, exclusions, structures of white supremacy, and inequality in the discipline became apparent again in October 2017, when an acrimonious debate, this time about eliminating the language requirements in musicology programs, erupted on the listserv of the American Musicological Society. [...]some felt more flexibility was needed to meet students with diverse needs. For days the AMS musicological community was held hostage to an excruciating chat marked by bouts of cynicism, obstinacy, the numbness of unacknowledged privilege, self-righteousness, heartfelt confession, careful analysis, and cogent critique, as well as momentary celebrations of self-experience, a lack of appreciation for each other's views, and a practice of talking past each other that created a cocktail so explosive it precipitated the closure of that listserv.4 Related discussions about changing the traditional music history survey in departments around the country have been characterized by similar ideological disagreement and intransigence.