Until recently, the study of music consisted of the historical and theoretical analysis of masterworks that were produced by a few great European composers. But over the past hundred years the focus has broadened. Now all kinds of musics are open for study. Think about the many functions of music in your life. Ethnomusicologists have brought to our attention yet another function of music.
People use music as a means of asserting their ethnic identity in the face of a cultural threat.
In Iran of the 1970s, for example, music from Europe and American was preferred by the modernized, Westernized sector of society. At the same time, those who treasured the traditional values of that society preferred Iranian classical music, which came to symbolize national roots and continuity. The Amish in various locations in North America hold on to their musical customs as zealously as they maintain their unique modes of dress, speech and society. In the past two decades numerous taiko drumming ensembles have been formed from New York to Los Angeles. For the past two thousand years, scattered across the globe, Jews have been a minority culture.