This thesis draws upon the ideas of reconnection, sustainability, and musical artistry in order to show how a consideration of the environmental and ethical impacts of making and consuming musical instruments can lead to innovative musical products and meaningful connections between the musicians who use and make them. Since impacts of globalization arguably disconnect producers, consumers, and natural resources, there is a general lack of consideration by consumers for the processes and materials required to craft musical instruments. Fostering reconnections between these actors through more active consumer participation in production processes is one way that disconnection can be alleviated, allowing for a more sustainable music-making experience. This thesis discusses three such avenues in order to show the ways reconnection between the actors of these music-making experiences can yield more sustainable cultures and artistically rich musical products. These avenues include small-scale local instrument craftsmanship, musicians that actively participate in the making of their instruments, and the usage of more sustainable and unconventional materials on musical instruments. Data are drawn from ethnographic research with Michigan-based percussionists and instrument makers in the form of semi-structured, in-depth interviews and participant observation. More connected, collaborative, and artistic relationships can result between the producers, consumers, and natural materials of musical instruments when musicians reconnect in these ways.
Read
