ABSTRACT
This contribution explores the significance of local music schools in shaping the social practices and values of local musicking. It considers the varied forms of institutionalization that shape the development of music schools and the diverse approaches that music scholars have taken to the study of music schools as part of local scenes. Drawing on local music schools in Chicago as a case study, this contribution highlights the importance of music schools as centers for social and musical practices that make up what Ruth Finnegan has described as the “organized musical activity” of a local music scene.
