While being abroad, our class has tried to discover differences and similarities between our two cultures in respect to music and Identity. As Americans, we encountered biases and cultural perspectives that differed from our own, challenging our preconceived notions and broadening our musical horizons. There was a direct correlation to how our cultures perceive time and how they celebrate and honor music. In America we linearize our timeline and are in a Progressive Era consistently looking forward trying to create the next best thing, which includes music. However, Czech culture is  older than ours  and instead of progressively trying to improve they have more of an inherent sense of pride in their history and past, which shows a difference in how they celebrate music. In Czech culture,  the deep respect for classical music was prevalent. The city itself seemed to vibrate with a sense of reverence for the works and history of composers like Smetana, Dvořák, and Janáček. It was as if their presence lingered in the air, permeating through the streets and resonating in the hearts of the people. It was a stark contrast to the tendency we observed in the United States to glamorize contemporary music.