This ethnographic study is an investigation of the environment that students create when making music that is meaningful to them. The initial purpose of the study was to describe a developing "rock group", and the factors that contributed to its creation. The significance of the study may be in the discovery of ways to "counter mechanisms of dominance inherent" (Fornas, Lindberg, & Sernhede, 1995, p. 263) in many formal environments. The author reflects on the lessons of informal music learning practices and the implications for her own classroom environment. A broader perspective on the informal/formal dichotomy may help teachers establish more diverse learning practices. (Contains 1 table.)