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.