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National Anthem Project

Submitted by dghebert100 on 21st March 2005

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In the USA today, do minors have the right to NOT be evaluated on their singing of "The Star Spangled Banner"? MENC (Music Educators National Conference - the leading arts educators association) is focusing its energies in 2005 on The National Anthem Project, a massive campaign that advocates emphasis on one nationalistic song as the central pillar of the music subject area in American public schools. [www.nationalanthemproject.org] This "educational" project is chaired by Laura Bush with generous support from several enormous corporations and right-wing organizations. In the context of a global War on Terror, the National Anthem Project is changing the landscape of music education in the USA, and holds the potential to result in both (1) narrowing and countrifying of curriculum and (2) coercion of music students and teachers. I am interested to know more about the actual results of this campaign in various American communities, and to hear both American and international views regarding its ethical and legal implications. Is this DEMOCRACY? Please view the MENC website for further details [www.menc.org].

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Albert Saur

8 April 2005 - 12:38am

Regarding your question as to whether minors should be evaluated on their singing of the present national anthem, my answer: Of course not! That's a silly proposal. The present national anthem, adopted in 1931, is hard to sing because of the range of one and one-half octaves required. Only a trained singer can cover such a range with good quality singing. Before 1931, the anthem was "My Country, tis of thee/Sweet land of liberty/of thee I sing." and so on. The melody was the same as the British national anthem. We Americans wanted a unique one, and so the "Star Spangled Banner" was adopted. The "My Country" anthem is much easier to sing than "Star Spangled Banner." Other songs have been proposed for a national anthem, such as "America the Beautiful," "God Bless America," and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." Being old myself, I rather like an old song, "Hail Columbia, Gem of the Ocean" which, I believe, served as a national anthem during the early days of the republic.

agingqueen

13 April 2005 - 6:03pm

It would seems reasonable to incorporate "american themed" music into music programs, but making it mandatory and graded seems silly.