Adapting History is an oral telling of American music through history and American history through music. From gospel to blues, jazz to R&B, America has produced some of the most innovative music of the 20th century. Although the songs are easy on the ears, their inception occurred in cultural climates that were often discordant. In Adapting History, musical artist Dahlak uses spoken word poetry to narrate the complex history of our nation. His musical chronicle shows that despite conflict and misunderstanding, we can still be brilliantly creative. Adapting History was created in collaboration with and commissioned by Montalvo Arts Center’s Education Department, OneBeat via the U.S. State Department, ArtPower UCSD, and the Mondavi Center at UC Davis.