Assimilation In America

Emigrating from China, my parents and ancestors share a strikingly different habit of music listening than my brothers and I. During their early childhood years, my parents viewed popular music at the time solely as a form of religion. However, as my parents settled into America after immigrating in 1994, the consumption of popular music began to link the traditional Chinese way-of-life with the new American life my parents chose. The role that music had on my parents differs from how my grandparents consumed and used music during their childhood. My grandparents mainly used music as a form of religion and meditation. The Buddhist mantras and hymns consumed by my grandparents reveal a religious channel that shaped the understanding of music …show more content…
The new forms of American music also played an important role in my parents’ assimilation into American culture. The mixture of these different forms of music symbolizes how my parents have assimilated and the process of assimilation. When my parents first arrived in America, they were dumbfounded by all the vibrant exuberance of American popular culture and music. Unlike the mundane Cantopop performances and styles, the popular American artists of the 1990s, such as Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys, provided a more stylistic approach to performance. The emergence of dance pop during this time inspired several artists to include back up dancers and dance routines in the live stage performances of the time. The use of dance routines and back up dancers dissuaded my parents from attending any American popular music concerts, as my parents preferred the intimate performances, such as those made by Leslie Cheung. As my parents began to adjust to American life, an artist that became significant to them was Michael Jackson. Not only did my parents enjoy listening to Michael Jackson’s music, they also supported the humanitarian work that Jackson did. Jackson donated several million dollars to charities worldwide and also was a global ambassador, as he traveled around the world attending events that honored his humanitarian efforts. During the late 1990s, Michael Jackson had already become a major figure in the music industry for several decades. Due to the over-the-top dance moves and exuberant costumes, my parents did not attend any of his live music performances in America. The emergence of dance pop during this time inspired several artists to include back up dancers and dance routines in the live stage performances of the time. The use of dance routines and back up dancers dissuaded my parents from attending any