The Construction Site

Abstract

The chapter opens with the author’s personal and family musical formation as examples of how family, school and other early settings shape urban musical lives. Next comes a collage of short quotes from a couple dozen Detroiters to suggest how different types of early influences form musicians’ identities more generally. A short closing section discusses how the availability of many different musical sources within a metropolis helps to shape personal profiles, even as social distance keeps some styles and performances of music inaccessible.