Language helps us express our thoughts and speak, it helps us exchange words and converse, and it gives vent to our feelings and articulates our passions. But our Teens call music the universal language, so how does music help us communicate? Read the article to find out how contemporary music transcends all barriers and unites people all over the world under a single canopy of melody, and helps them converse and comprehend even though their spoken languages might be unintelligible. Take note of the survey they did among themselves to find out what was on the Teens’ iPods.

Cultures throughout the world are infinitely different. Everyone has customs, traditions, and backgrounds completely unique to their people. However, there are inter-racial connections between every ethnicity, and one of the most expressive of these connections is music. This fine art form has been a source of entertainment for centuries, and now, more than ever, it has evolved into a link between the varied people of today.

Families of the World Bank come from every corner of the globe. The globalized World Bank families are very aware of the influence that America has had on their culture, and music is an obvious example of this. For example, more and more singers are singing in English to better connect themselves to the “cash piñata” or the American music industry. Music has always been a profitable industry (for the few that succeed), and now people from many different countries are trying to immerse themselves in an industry that is extremely difficult to thrive in. The interchange is mutual! Beats from Latin America and Africa have found their way onto hip-hop albums. Electric guitars are now used in music albums from India. Synthesizers that are prevalent in European techno music is now fused with American rock n’ roll tracks. These unique combinations of instruments create a really international connection, a universal melody and a blend of diverse sounds that make up global music. Contemporary music is one of the most obvious examples of modern cultural diffusion. It shows that the world is a much smaller place than ever. The music of today has such different styles and genres, and this is because of the global interactions that have occurred between not only the artists, but also the listeners and fans around the world.

Pablo C., Surya S., Neema D.

 

What’s playing on your iPod right now
Name	Country of Origin	Song	Artist
Pablo Chovil	Colombia	La Camisa Negra	Juanes
Surya Sundar	India	Maahi Ve	Kal Ho Na ho
Neema Diu	Tanzania	Gimme the Light	Sean Paul
Seung Woo Park	South Korea	Stay	Nell
Fransisco Bonnefoy	Chile	Mentira	La Ley
Fabio Pires	Brazil	Jeu d’Eau	M. Ravel
Henry Peterson	United States	Echoes	Pink Floyd
Fred Kalema	Uganda	Forever	Chris Brown
Eduardo Rivera	Costa Rica	Gold Digger	Kanye West
Vinitra Rangan	India	In Lamhon Ke	Jodhaa Akbar
Rachel Moss	England	Viva la Vida	Coldplay
Ines Nin	Uruguay	Live Forever	Oasis
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