This is Floyd Wynne with THE VIEW FROM HERE    3/15/05

Do you know all the words to the National Anthem?

According to a recent survey about two thirds of Americans do not know all the words to the Anthem.

The survey found that more of the elderly did not remember all the words rather than the younger Americans.

The Star Spangled Banner became the national anthem back in 1931 when

President Herbert Hoover signed it into law.

            Today we seldom sing it all.   We listen as an individual sings it at a ball game, but other than that we really don’t wonder whether or not we really remember all the words.

            Almost everyone knows that it was Francis Scott Key who created the words while he was held prisoner aboard a British ship during the bombardment of Fort McHenry in 1914 during the War of 1812.

            Also, I think most remember that it was later appended to a British song which has before the war, been sung in taverns saluting the British rulers.

            Well, as a result of the survey we are now going to see a special program inaugurated to not only stress the words of the Anthem, but take special pains to make certain that most Americans do know all the words.

            Remember, at one time the movement was launched to replace the Star Spangled Banner with America The Beautiful, but that effort died a quiet death.

            The National Director of the National Association for Music Education, blames the lack of proper funding of music programs in our schools for the problem with the National Anthem.

            The Director, John Mahlmann said:  “National Anthems, almost by definition are meant to be sung by the populace, not watched.”  He added:  “For whatever reason, over a period of time, we have become a nation of watchers and listeners.”

            So….now we will have a National Anthem Project,   This is a private sector effort organized by the National Association for Music Education.  The program will target classrooms and older Americans to make certain they know all the words, and then will come a celebration and a massive nationwide singing of the anthem in the summer of 2007.

            Now that means that we all have two years to bone up on all the words to the Anthem and be ready to sing them come two years from now.

            Well….test yourself……can you sing all the words.   Certainly some lines are tough when you’re singing them…especially the closing lines, but can you just recite them?

            Let’s see……Oh Say Can You See……and so on.  

            This is Floyd Wynne with THE VIEW FROM HERE.