Destined for Greatness: Passions, Dreams, and Aspirations in a College Music Town [Paperback]

Pursuing the dream of a musical vocation—particularly in rock music—is typically regarded as an adolescent pipedream. Music is marked as an appropriate leisure activity, but one that should be discarded upon entering adulthood. How then do many men and women aspire to forge careers in music upon entering adulthood? 

InDestined for Greatness, sociologist Michael Ramirez examines the lives of forty-eight independent rock musicians who seek out such non-normative choices in a college town renowned for its music scene. He explores the rich life course trajectories of women and men to explore the extent to which pathways are structured to allow some, but not all, individuals to fashion careers in music worlds. Ramirez suggests a more nuanced understanding of factors that enable the pursuit of musical livelihoods well into adulthood.  
 

Michael Ramirez examines the lives of forty-eight independent rock musicians who seek out non-normative choices in a renowned college music town. He explores the life course trajectories of women and men to understand the extent to which pathways are structured to allow some individuals to fashion careers in music worlds.  
 

MICHAEL RAMIREZ is an associate professor of sociology at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

Introduction 1
1 First Hearing the Sounds: Coming of Age and the Discovery of Music 23
2 First Making the Sounds: Negotiating Adulthood in a Musical World 50
3 I Feel It In My Bones: The Development of Musician Identities 77
4 Men and Masculinities in a Musical World 104
5 Women and the Challenges of Musical Life Course Trajectories 131
6 The Great Beyond: Commitment to Music and Looking Toward the Future 159
7 Conclusion 185
Acknowledgments 203
Notes 207
References 213
Index 227

"A fascinating reminder of music's profound impact across the liló-