The phenomenon of people labelling themselves as unmusical is widespread, and terms such as talent, giftedness and musicality characterize the research field. This article presents four case studies of adult non-musicians (a lawyer, a teacher educator, a teacher, and a public servant), providing perspectives of the impact of self-view on their self-judgement of musicality. A major negative consequence is the deprivation of self from future active participation in, and enjoyment of, music making. (Contains 1 figure and 4 tables.)