{"id":703152,"date":"2026-05-24T15:40:04","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T19:40:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=703152"},"modified":"2026-05-24T15:40:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T19:40:04","slug":"review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\/","title":{"rendered":"America\u2019s greatest hits: The soundtrack of a nation at 250"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ experts guide you through 250 years of American music, from Indigenous song and spirituals to jazz, rock, hip-hop, and Bad Bunny\u2019s Super Bowl LX performance.<\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ experts guide you through 250 years of American music, from Indigenous song and spirituals to jazz, rock, hip-hop, and Bad Bunny\u2019s Super Bowl LX performance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1622,"featured_media":703172,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41112,456],"tags":[42,21502,42922,42852,3286,23192,5436,42912,5426,16072,42932],"class_list":["post-703152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-from-the-magazine","category-society-culture","tag-alumni","tag-arthur-satz-department-of-music","tag-cory-hunter","tag-dennis-desantis","tag-eastman-school-of-music","tag-frederick-douglass-institute-and-department-of-black-studies","tag-institute-for-popular-music","tag-jeffrey-mccune","tag-john-covach","tag-school-of-arts-and-sciences","tag-timothy-long"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>American music history: How the soundtrack of a nation reflects 250 years of identity<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore 250 years of American music history, from Indigenous song and spirituals to jazz, rock, hip-hop, and Bad Bunny\u2019s Super Bowl LX performance.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"American music history: How the soundtrack of a nation reflects 250 years of identity\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Explore 250 years of American music history, from Indigenous song and spirituals to jazz, rock, hip-hop, and Bad Bunny\u2019s Super Bowl LX performance.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News Center\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-24T19:40:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/america-250-cover-art-1200x630.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jonathan Heath\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jonathan Heath\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jonathan Heath\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0280854cce2b8b36635d63a3710f68e1\"},\"headline\":\"America\u2019s greatest hits: The soundtrack of a nation at 250\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-24T19:40:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":36,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/america-250-cover-art.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"alumni\",\"Arthur Satz Department of Music\",\"Cory Hunter\",\"Dennis DeSantis\",\"Eastman School of Music\",\"Frederick Douglass Institute and Department of Black Studies\",\"Institute for Popular Music\",\"Jeffrey McCune\",\"John Covach\",\"School of Arts and Sciences\",\"Timothy Long\"],\"articleSection\":[\"From the Magazine\",\"Society &amp; Culture\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\\\/\",\"name\":\"American music history: How the soundtrack of a nation reflects 250 years of identity\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/america-250-cover-art.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-24T19:40:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0280854cce2b8b36635d63a3710f68e1\"},\"description\":\"Explore 250 years of American music history, from Indigenous song and spirituals to jazz, rock, hip-hop, and Bad Bunny\u2019s Super Bowl LX performance.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/america-250-cover-art.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/america-250-cover-art.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1152,\"caption\":\"PLAY IT AGAIN, UNCLE SAM: From jazz and country to rock and hip-hop, American music is the result of a remarkable mix of cultural influences, shifting identities, social and economic changes, and constant advances in technology. (Illustration by James Taylor)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"America\u2019s greatest hits: The soundtrack of a nation at 250\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/\",\"name\":\"News Center\",\"description\":\"Ä¢¹½´«Ã½\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0280854cce2b8b36635d63a3710f68e1\",\"name\":\"Jonathan Heath\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rochester.edu\\\/newscenter\\\/author\\\/jheath\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"American music history: How the soundtrack of a nation reflects 250 years of identity","description":"Explore 250 years of American music history, from Indigenous song and spirituals to jazz, rock, hip-hop, and Bad Bunny\u2019s Super Bowl LX performance.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"American music history: How the soundtrack of a nation reflects 250 years of identity","og_description":"Explore 250 years of American music history, from Indigenous song and spirituals to jazz, rock, hip-hop, and Bad Bunny\u2019s Super Bowl LX performance.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\/","og_site_name":"News Center","article_published_time":"2026-05-24T19:40:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/america-250-cover-art-1200x630.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jonathan Heath","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jonathan Heath","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\/"},"author":{"name":"Jonathan Heath","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#\/schema\/person\/0280854cce2b8b36635d63a3710f68e1"},"headline":"America\u2019s greatest hits: The soundtrack of a nation at 250","datePublished":"2026-05-24T19:40:04+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\/"},"wordCount":36,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/america-250-cover-art.jpg","keywords":["alumni","Arthur Satz Department of Music","Cory Hunter","Dennis DeSantis","Eastman School of Music","Frederick Douglass Institute and Department of Black Studies","Institute for Popular Music","Jeffrey McCune","John Covach","School of Arts and Sciences","Timothy Long"],"articleSection":["From the Magazine","Society &amp; Culture"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\/","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\/","name":"American music history: How the soundtrack of a nation reflects 250 years of identity","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/america-250-cover-art.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-24T19:40:04+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#\/schema\/person\/0280854cce2b8b36635d63a3710f68e1"},"description":"Explore 250 years of American music history, from Indigenous song and spirituals to jazz, rock, hip-hop, and Bad Bunny\u2019s Super Bowl LX performance.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/america-250-cover-art.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/america-250-cover-art.jpg","width":1920,"height":1152,"caption":"PLAY IT AGAIN, UNCLE SAM: From jazz and country to rock and hip-hop, American music is the result of a remarkable mix of cultural influences, shifting identities, social and economic changes, and constant advances in technology. (Illustration by James Taylor)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/review-spring-2026-american-music-history-250-years-703152\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"America\u2019s greatest hits: The soundtrack of a nation at 250"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/","name":"News Center","description":"Ä¢¹½´«Ã½","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#\/schema\/person\/0280854cce2b8b36635d63a3710f68e1","name":"Jonathan Heath","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/author\/jheath\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1622"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=703152"}],"version-history":[{"count":35,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703152\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":705392,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703152\/revisions\/705392"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/703172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=703152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=703152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=703152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}