Oh, Say Can You See?

Sure, everybody knows the first few lines of our National Anthem, but how many among us know all the verses as sung at your typical elementary/junior-senior high school event? CNN is reporting that there is a nation-wide effort underway to teach Americans the words of our National Anthem:

Called the National Anthem Project, various workshops, in-school programs and public-service announcements are geared toward instilling in people the significance of the national anthem and its role in U.S. history. An emphasis will be placed on learning the lyrics to "The Star-Spangled Banner."

"We want to remind all Americans to cherish our national treasures and to celebrate our unity and our values in song," said John Mahlmann, executive director of the National Association for Music Education, an organization of music teachers from preschool to graduate school.

The association is leading the effort and getting help from a variety of musicians, organizations and lawmakers and first lady Laura Bush, who is serving as honorary chairperson.

The effort kicked off Thursday on the west lawn of the Capitol with a performance of the anthem led by The Oak Ridge Boys and hundreds of school kids.

We applaud The First Lady for leading this effort. I only hope that I get to spare my students the terrible ordeal of having to listen to my off-key rendition of the Anthem...

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