Page - 16 - in Mobile Culture Studies - The Journal, Volume 2/2016

16 Mobile Culture Studies. The Journal 2 2o16 Alejandro Miranda | Journeying with a musical practice Introduction People often engage in various forms of mobility to earn a living. It is in these multiple flows and frictions that we encounter and produce many of the meanings associated with work. Seve- ral academic fields have focused on the figure of ‘migrants’ as central subjects of empirical ana- lysis. Yet, the type of movement associated to what we call migration is one among many other ways of becoming mobile (Hui 2016). This is not to deny the relevance of migrants, but to argue that emphasising a sphere of migrant activity has left unnoticed other discontinuous mobilities. There are people, for instance, whose frequent travels and short stays make them less visible as mobile workers. They often do not see themselves as migrants, nor they are classified as such by national bureaucracies. Still, their involvement in processes of cultural diffusion, appropriation and hybridisation is related to their work, just as many others who cross international borders. In focusing on the sociocultural dimensions of work and mobilities, this article examines the ways in which journeying with a musical practice entails forms of informal labour and, simulta- neously, meanings of diffusion, promotion and cultivation of regional cultures. This account is based on an ethnographic study on the circulation of son jarocho, a traditional musical practice emerging in Mexico that is currently shared by groups of practitioners mostly in locations in Mexico and the US. It specifically focuses on the case of Pedro, a musician, workshop facilitator and luthier who travels several times a year between these two countries performing, teaching and selling handmade instruments. For him, journeying with a musical practice represents a way of making a living, a job. Still, he does not perceive himself as a labour migrant, but as a teacher, performer and cultural promoter. As many other practitioners of popular music, Pedro developed his craft by performing at regional festivities, teaching at workshops and building instruments. But he has also become part of a small number of practitioners who developed a noticeable sophistication in their musical performance and, simultaneously, became part of transnational networks of relationships that opened opportunities for performing and teaching in several locations. The various forms of mobility that converge in his journeying resonate with the experiences of international migrants because of the extent of his travels. However, their meanings involve a distinct form of existential mobility. The following sections analyse the ways in which jour- neying with a cultural practice is fuelled by casual labour amid precarious conditions, a gradual commodification of a musical tradition, the cultivation of a practice that was perceived to be in risk of disappearance and the consequential efforts to sustain a regional culture through its dissemination across geographically dispersed communities of practitioners. ‘Using whatever I had at hand’ After two months of travelling, Pedro finished another teaching tour. The workshops took place in Seattle, Los Angeles, Santa Ana, San Diego, Mexico City, Guanajuato, Queretaro and Guadalajara, and he finally arrived in Xalapa to perform in a festival along with other musicians. The first time I met Pedro was at a week-long workshop in a rural town in southeast Mexico. He was teaching jarana, a guitar-like instrument with five double strings derived from