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Victoria Ryder Honors American Studies Current Event: American Diversity January 25, 2012

 American diversity can be shown through a real life example relating to musical artists that are coming to America from Africa ( Baldauf) . These musicians do their best to be recognized, and in a positive way. So, some of them make their way to the United States because of the fact that many people from America have not heard Afro-Pop. Being noticed can be an overwhelming experience, this is because the musical tastes of America are constantly changing ( Baldauf) . You can be in one day, and out the next. This can be a hard concept to develop.  Many people want music that is new and unique, but having too much uniqueness can overwhelm the audience which can cause the artist’s career to go nowhere. An example given in the article shows an Afro-Pop band, known as Kina Zore’ attempting to make a name for themselves in America ( Baldauf) . They were inspired to push on for fame by an African singer known as Lira. She was voted South Africa’s best female artist of 2010. They saw they she worked hard towards being the best and they realized they needed to work harder ( Baldauf) . Recently the band has also played in numerous shows on the west coast. Even though the band has a unique style (especially in America), they still continue to strive in order to make a name for themselves in the United States. **Relevance:**  There are other artists that were also diverse like Kina Zore’. One very famous musician was Robert (Bob) Nesta Marley. He came from Jamaica looking to create a better life for himself as a musician. Many Americans during this time had never heard him or reggae, so it was difficult for him at first. Also, at this time many people were still uneasy about people of darker skin and on top of that Bob’s father was white but his mother was still Jamaican. Many people did not accept Bob and his mixed race. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> Another artist that faced a difficult time was David Grohl. Although he was a good student and he was in a few bands growing up, he did at one point have to lie about his age (Dave). When David was seventeen years old (17) he went to auditions for a band known as Scream, but when he got there he realized that the minimum audition age was twenty years old (20). A few years later he joined the band Nirvana, as their lead drummer. Some people felt that he should have been kicked out of the band for lying and others felt that it did not matter because he is such a talented musician. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">**How it relates to the theme:** <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> Diversity can be seen through Bob Marley’s race and heritage, David Grohl’s ability to lie to follow his dream, and Kina Zore’s combination of music genres. The article relates to the theme of the week because it shows that there are many musical genres that Americans listen to, and it shows that in some cases bands combine different genres to create new sounds ( <span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Baldauf) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">. Although making a name for yourself can be hard, Kina Zore’ is on the road to the right path (Dave). Some people may not like there blend in music, but you cannot make everyone happy, and the band knows this.
 * <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Summary: **

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> **Questions:**
 * 1) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> How do people come into contact with Kina Zore’s music if they are a band that is not very well known?
 * 2) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Has a record label taken them in, or do they have a previous label from Africa?
 * 3) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Does the band have a plan to keep viewers attention? Knowing that musical tastes are always changing?
 * 4) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Do they perform in an actual music hall or at smaller venues?
 * 5) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">How much has the new media helped them become more than just local musicians?
 * 6) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Have any of the band members ever met the artist Lira?

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Bibliography <span style="color: #000000; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Baldauf, Scott. "Afro-pop Bands Hop Continents." //CSMonitor.com//. 20 Jan. 2012. Web. 25 Jan. 2012. <http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Music/2012/0120/Afro-pop-bands-hop-continents/>.

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">"Dave Grohl - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Grohl>.