Networking and Musicians

Today I spoke to a potential student for an online music technology course in the spring. The course targets non-traditional musicians. The student wondered if there were going to be opportunities to meet new people and hopefully network and connect with other musicians. Networking, finding members of the band, and continually assessing the "state of the band" are all very important issues to band members.
What does non-traditional musicians mean?

How to erase the lines?

There are bridges between the popular groups that Ruth Finnegan speaks of in The Hidden Musician and the traditional culturally established and accepted groups. Popular musicians know about the traditional, often school sponsored groups, and are even members of these groups. But how do you erase the lines? Today a student/musician told me that he was too busy working with a band to be a part of an online project I'd tried to include him in. The project is a venue for pop musicians, for any musician. The student/musician said, he was really excited about the band he was working with. It was obvious that he saw a line between what he was doing and anything that the formal school could offer. How to erase the lines? Big sigh.

Just a project?

Is a garage band just a band with a leader that has a project?

Tell me how you really feel?

How do you feel about being called garage musician? A friend of mine told me that jamming and gigging were pase terms.