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Writing Assignment 1 Global Traditions in Music 9/25/2019

When incorporating other cultures into your life, there is a fine line between collaboration and cultural appropriation. Both musician Paul Pena’s involvement with Tuvan music and the performance of “Peponi” by musical group The Piano Guys featuring Alex Boyé have included elements of cultures that aren’t their own. Approaches, connections, and attitudes can be pulled from each to demonstrate where the line of appropriation is drawn. In a case of cultural appropriation, individuals or groups adopt another culture as their own. The approach to cultural integration can be a strong factor in deciding if the instance falls under the category of cultural appropriation. In Paul Pena’s documentary speaking on his involvement with the Tuvan culture, he expresses the twelve years that he dedicated to the culture. Learning the language, practicing the vocal techniques, and building relationships with members of the Tuvan community shows the time consuming, intricate, and detailed approach of Pena to his final performance of overtone singing in a competition in Tuva itself. Contrasting to Pena’s approach, The Piano Guys released a video performance of “Peponi,” an African interpretation of the western pop song “Paradise” by Coldplay, along with a statement on their approach to the performance. In their statement, they spoke of how they were at a block, unable to come up with an idea for a new video on their channel. Their unique idea of adding an African twist to the song proved to be unauthentic, promoting and highlighting their unique idea, with only small and shallow incorporations of the African culture to their performance compared to the years of work that Pena put into the Tuvan culture. Cultural appropriation stands out when members of a cultural majority adopt elements from a cultural minority. In both the case of Paul Pena and the case of The Piano Guys, white westerners are

adopting elements of another culture viewed as a minority group. Because of this, the connections that both Pena and The Piano Guys have are very important in justifying their performances. However, in the case of The Piano Guys, their connection to the African culture was Alex Boyé, a black singer from England with ancestors from Africa. This collaboration has caused listeners to question the credibility of the connection from the music group to African culture, allowing for speculation of appropriation. In the instance of Pena, his years of studying the Tuvan culture had brought him to Tuva multiple times, giving him the ability to be welcomed into their culture with nicknames, endearment, and formal invitations to sing their culture’s music while leaving almost no room for cultural appropriation speculation in this area. Similar to the approach and connection, the attitude that the artists have can speak to not only their intentions but also the factor of cultural appropriation. In Pena’s documentary of his involvement in the Tuvan culture, he spoke of the challenges that he faced when learning their ways. He spoke of the immense interest and respect that he had for the Tuvan people themselves, and wasn’t afraid to speak on the difficulties that came from understanding and practicing all aspects of Tuva as well as the authenticity that it took from him in his vulnerable learning moments. In contrast, the statement discussed earlier from The Piano Guys spoke of their loss of ideas on what to create before coming up with the idea of adding African elements to a western song. The lack of thought depicted from not only the statement but also the minimal involvement of the culture as discussed earlier causes the viewer to see a lack of intentionality behind this performance. Cultural appropriation is a fine line that can be crossed quite easily. Like the instances of Paul Pena and The Piano Guys, the artist’s approach, connections to the culture, as well as their attitude behind the involvement of the culture can speak wonders in deciding whether or not the select culture is being appropriated....