ETHNIC NORTH AMERICA

We will read various sections from the textbook in class. You will summarize its key points.

What is the author’s main

point?

What examples or evidence is

provided?

What questions would you ask of the author?

We will now break into groups, each of which will

have five minutes to discuss their question

and report back.

Group 1: What is ethnicity?

Group 2: How can ethnic music

be used as a means of

representing identity?

Group 3: How is ethnic music accepted by second and third generation

immigrants in society?

Group 1: In what ways may an ethnic group’s musical boundaries be

maintained?

Group 2: Why was the polka often blended with music from other

cultures?

Group 3: Why does traditional

music blend with American popular music?

Group 1: How may we observe that many North

American musical instruments are no longer used

as much?

Group 2: How is American musical culture changing in the technological age, and how much regard is there for the traditional forms as there once was?

Group 3: Has music always changed in American culture, and how so?

Summary

The music of ethnic North America is a mixture of many different cultures

Ethnic music is a rich part of Can-Am culture

North American ethnic music has been created by particular groups

of people to express their identity and

experiences as both immigrants and Can-Ams

Ethnic music is performed in

many different venues,

beginning in the home and then opening out into the community

and finally interacting with

other ethnic communities

Preservation—the

maintenance of traditional

musical styles—is an important

emphasis of most ethnic

music

Specific musical instruments are often associated with specific ethnic musical

styles and help define them

Religious practices of

ethnic groups help preserve

many traditional musical styles

African Americans have

contributed to the diversity of music in North

America far more

extensively and profoundly than any other group