American Music

When people are asked "What is American music?" they may simply answer, "Well, the music that Americans listen to." But before attempting to define American music, we must first take a step back and think about what it really means to be "American." Are we considered American simply because we were born in America? Is it possible for one's "Americanism" to be determined by a mere piece of paper (a birth certificate)? Is it a culture, or is it a life-style? Because these various factors are taken into account when determining what is American, it is practically impossible to say that one type of music defines American music. Music is a reflection of a peoples' culture. It is thus impractical to even try to pin point a single music genre as American music when America consists of so many different cultures. The United States is a melting pot of different cultures, identities, and of course music-cultures.

When trying to define American music, some people may say that it's the music that most Caucasians listen to, such as Britney Spears' pop http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BclTRsTBZM, Carrie Underwood's country http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSMV3g-iBWU, or the Goo Goo Dolls' alternative http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Feq_G7-pwak (just to give a few examples). However, this certainly does not encompass everything about American music. America is a very diverse place. Many people from different countries have migrated to the United States and their music has also come with them. In California alone we can find various types of music depending on which area we focus on. For instance, if we go to Orange County (specifically, the city of Santa Ana), we will mainly hear Mexican music because it’s an area where the population is predominantly Mexican-American. We are likely to hear songs by Los Tigres del Norte http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZtQt4KElfE or Vicente Fernandez http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VooHJx7qoPQ. If we go to China Town, we’ll hear Asian music, such as songs from Wang Lee Hom http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SDSHNJRlXk. If we go to an area that's predominantly African-American, we may hear Duke Ellington’s blues http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CkJmy3FUs8, or perhaps Snoop Dog's rap http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okS1u85MB1g. (Again, these are only examples.) Likewise, if we go to different regions in the United States we will hear different types of music depending on the people that reside in the area.

Giving examples of every type of music in the United States requires much research and would take several pages to describe. However, what is most relevant to this discussion is the fact that it is the people that make up a music-culture. If we compare all the music genres/styles mentioned above, we will come to the realization that they sound nothing alike. Nonetheless, because America is made up of so many different peoples, it is all these different styles (and more) that make up American music.