Diversity center|upright=3.6|The United States is home to a wide array of regional styles and scenes. The United States is often said to be a cultural melting pot, taking in influences from across the world and creating distinctively new methods of cultural expression. Though aspects of American music can be traced back to specific origins, claiming any particular original culture for a musical element is inherently problematic, due to the constant evolution of American music through transplanting and hybridizing techniques, instruments and genres. Elements of foreign musics arrived in the United States both through the formal sponsorship of educational and outreach events by individuals and groups, and through informal processes, as in the incidental transplantation of West African music through slavery, and Irish music through immigration. The most distinctly American musics are a result of cross-cultural hybridization through close contact. Slavery, for example, mixed persons from numerous tribes in tight living quarters, resulting in a shared musical tradition that was enriched through further hybridizing with elements of indigenous, Latin, and European music.Cowdery, James R. with Anne Lederman, "Blurring the Boundaries of Social and Musical Identities" in the Garland Encyclopedia of World Music, pp. 322–333. American ethnic, religious, and racial diversity has also produced such intermingled genres as the French-African music of the Louisiana Creoles, the Native, Mexican and European fusion Tejano music, and the thoroughly hybridized slack-key guitar and other styles of modern Hawaiian music.
dIveRsity center|upRight=36|The uniTed sTaTEs iS HoME TO a wIde aRRAy of REGional sTyLES anD sceneS the UnIted States Is oFteN said to bE A cultural mElTiNg pOt TAKinG in INfLuEnCEs froM aCrOss The WorLd anD creaTing distincTiveLy nEW Methods of CulturAl ExprEssiON THouGh aSpeCTs Of aMericAn mUsIc can Be TRaced bacK to speCific ORigIns clAiMIng AnY parTIcular orIGinal cultUre fOR a MusiCal ELemenT iS inhEREntlY pRoblematic due to THE coNstAnT eVOlUtion of AmerIcan mUSIC ThrougH transplantinG anD hYBridIziNg TechNiQuEs iNstrUMEnts aND gENreS ELEments Of foreigN musics aRriVed In The uniteD states bOTh ThroUGH the fOrMal spONsorSHiP oF EduCational aNd ouTreaCh Events by INdIvidUals anD grouPs AnD throUgh InfOrMal prOcesSeS as in tHe incidentaL traNSplAntaTIoN of west africaN MuSic throuGH sLaveRY And iRish mUSiC tHrough ImmIgrAtIoN the mOSt dIstinctLy AmerIcan musICS ARe A reSult oF crOss-culTuRal HyBRIdIzATion through CLose contaCt sLaVery For exAmple mixEd perSOns frOm NumerOus TribeS in TiGHt livINg quarTers resuLTing iN a shared MusiCAl tradition tHaT WAS enrIched thRough furthEr Hybridizing WiTh elEmEnTs of iNdiGeNous latIn and euRoPeaN mUSicCowdery JameS R wiTh aNne LederMAn "bluRriNG thE bounDaRies of socIAl and musicaL idEntitieS" IN thE garlAnd eNcycLoPEdia of WOrLd mUsiC PP 322–333 aMerican EThniC rELigIoUs and raCial diveRsItY haS alSO prOduCeD Such intermIngleD GeNres aS The freNCh-afRicAn muSIc oF the LouisiANa CreoLeS thE NativE MexiCaN and europeaN FusiOn TEjaNO MUsic and ThE tHoroughlY hYBrIDizEd slack-Key GuItAR AND oTheR styles of Modern HawaIIAn mUSic