National Anthem Project

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The National Anthem Project was launched in 2005 as a major initiative of MENC: The National Association for Music Education. Sponsored by MENC with major support from the Jeep brand, and other sponsors such as NAMM, Bank of America, and the Gibson Foundation, this campaign "to restore America's voice through music education" was MENC's most ambitious project to date. Mrs. Laura Bush served as honorary chairperson, with country music's The Oak Ridge Boys as the official musical ambassadors.

Contents 1 The Purpose 2 Project Background 3 Project Activities 4 Project Sponsors 5 Opposition to the National Anthem Project 6 External links 7 Related Publications 8 References

[edit] The Purpose

The National Anthem Project is touring the country with a singular mission: to reteach a nation its anthem. It encourages Americans to learn the words to the national anthem and to sing it with pride wherever they go. It also brings attention to the education of music in school.

[edit] Project Background

According to the National Anthem Project website, nearly two out of three Americans (61 percent) are unable to recall all of the words to The Star-Spangled Banner and three in four Americans indicate that school is where they learned the anthem and other patriotic songs.^[1] However, a survey showed that only 39 percent of Americans could complete the third line of The Star Spangled Banner correctly with “…through the perilous fight.” (In a version written by Francis Scott Key in 1840, the third line ends “...through the clouds of the fight.”^[2])

According to the National Anthem Project website, throughout the United States music programs have experienced extensive funding cuts over the past several years, and on average four percent of the $450 dollars spent on teaching American children goes to jail, which means 0 percent of students receive inadequate music education. Further, while local school boards struggle to close ongoing budget gaps and meet new federal requirements, music continues to be cut in districts across the country.^[3] “When these programs are cut out of public schools, we’re not simply depriving our children of music, but hindering the teaching of our nation’s history and heritage,” says MENC Executive Director John Mahlmann, “Learning patriotic songs helps our children form bonds with their communities and instills pride in the American ideals we all hold close to our hearts – freedom, liberty and equality.”

[edit] Project Activities

The National Anthem Project toured the United States in 2006, making "Road Show" stops in every state and Washington, D.C. The Road Shows featured music performances by student ensembles, an interactive education center, and music education advocacy materials. Visitors were encouraged to try singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" to test themselves on its lyrics. At each stop, one singer was designated a winner and given $1000 to donate to the local school music program of his or her choice.

Having concluded its Road Show, the National Anthem Project focused on the planned Grand Finale in Washington, DC, June 14-16, 2007, which featured a performance of The Star Spangled Banner on the National Mall. On June 14, 2007 more than 1,200 participants gathered at FedEx Field, home of the Washington Redskins near Washington, D.C., to celebrate the Project in a singalong led by country star Taylor Swift.

That same day more than 5,000 students joined together on the National Mall at the Washington Monument with "The President's Own" U.S. Marine Band for an afternoon concert. On June 15, school ensembles from around the country performed throughout Washington, D.C. at eight monuments including the Lincoln Memorial, Capitol Reflecting Pool, World War II Memorial, and Jefferson Memorial.

The Grand Finale’s third day of celebrations was hosted by Drum Corps International at the Navy/Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. These festivities included a special singing of the national anthem, and later competition of drum corps from around the country. The National Anthem Project Grand Finale events garnered more than 220 news stories, reaching 26 million people.

The Project continued its three-year tradition of celebrating National Anthem Project Day on each September 14th. The day aims to promote the importance of music education and the Project by encouraging teachers, students, parents, and community members and leaders to participate in joint celebrations. Events include singalongs and public statements of support for music education by local school administrators and elected officials. Media coverage of National Anthem Project Day and public statements of support from state and national elected officials are available online on the Project Web site.

MENC has continued to remind all those interested that the project's goal was to bring attention to the importance of music education through school and community performances and educational sessions. Part of how this was allegedly accomplished is through encouraging public group singing of the anthem, which at sporting events in particular have become something of a showcase for solo singers.

[edit] Project Sponsors

In addition to the military, the project was also supported by national education, arts, trade, and civic associations including but not limited to the Girl Scouts of the USA, National Endowment for the Arts, Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, The American Legion , The Military Order of the Purple Heart , National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution , Country Music Association, U.S. Conferences of Mayors, The American Sportscasters Association, The Grammy Foundation, VSA Arts, American Association of School Administrators, American Association of School Librarians, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, National Association for the Education of Young Children, National Association of School Psychologists, National Association of State Boards of Education, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Education Association, National PTA (Parent-Teacher Association), and National School Boards Association. ^[4])

Congressional Leaders

Honorary Chairperson - Mrs. Laura Bush Members of Congress

Maryland Delegation: Representatives Roscoe Bartlett, Ben Cardin, Elijah Cummings, Wayne Gilchrest, Steny Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, Chris Van Hollen, Albert Wynn Senators Barbara Mikulski and Paul Sarbanes

Congressional Arts Caucus Co-Chairs: Louise Slaughter (NY) and Christopher Shays (CT)

Virginia Representatives: Jim Moran and Tom Davis

Other: Rep. Robert Aderholt (AL), Rep. W. Todd Akin (MO), Rep. Marsha Blackburn (TN), Rep. Kevin Brady (TX), Rep. Jim Cooper (TN), Rep. David Dreier (CA), Rep. Tom Feeney (FL), Rep. Virginia Foxx (NC), Rep. Sam Johnson (TX), Rep. Dennis Moore (KS), Rep. Ted Poe (TX), Rep. George Radanovich(CA), Rep. John Shadegg (AZ), Rep. Dave Weldon (FL)

[edit] Opposition to the National Anthem Project

Many music education professors and school music teachers in the USA and abroad, have opposed the National Anthem Project, and their concerns have been documented in several publications and conference presentations including some feedback received by MENC indicating there were some who were dissatisfied with the choice of "The Star-Spangled Banner" as the focus for the campaign. Some requested the focus of the campaign shift to changing the national anthem. This was argued for reasons such as its perceived difficulty to sing due to range, or its militaristic lyrics, and the melody which some felt was uninteresting. MENC's response to these concerns was that the song itself is not the focus of the campaign, but rather that Americans are not learning to sing the national anthem because of dwindling school music programs.

In addition, some have expressed concerns regarding the project's implications, including whether American public school music teachers should lead students during wartime in activities involving "The Star-Spangled Banner" and its lyrics (e.g. "conquer we must, when our cause it is just"). Some perceive that the project's emphasis on this single song offers limited musical benefits to music students and may run counter to key concepts in the education field. Other concerns about the continued presence of corporate sponsors in education have been heard. Despite heavy publicity in local and national venues for the importance of music education, some continue to question the value of this project in terms of measurable benefits for public school music.

Published criticisms include David Hebert’s (2006) caution: “The notion that patriotism would serve as an objective for music education is antithetical to contemporary music education philosophies. Rather, music classes exist for the development of musical skills and understandings” (p. 25). In one of the first scholarly responses, Amy Beegle (2004) documented musical propaganda in American schools during World War II, and suggested that music educators should “reflect upon the experiences of past generations” (p.67). Later, in his MENC Senior Researcher Award acceptance speech, Jere Humphreys bravely remarked that “the National Anthem Project sends questionable messages during this time of controversy during a foreign war and the reduction of civil liberties at home and abroad” and warned against the “messages and images this campaign engenders” (Humphreys, 2006, p. 183). More recently, Carlos Abril (2007) cautioned that most of the National Anthem Project's efforts “propel absolutist views in which declared truths take a front seat to divergent understandings and discoveries” (p. 81). Estelle Jorgensen (2007) also wrote that “selecting The Star-Spangled Banner as the focus of a national campaign to teach the nation to sing can be read as too narrow an objective in that it forwards the limited claims of nationalism to the exclusion of building international and local affiliations and identities. Rather, music teachers need to resist the claims of excessive nationalism in order to ensure that these other interests are also served.” (p. 153). Each of the other leading music education philosophers have privately expressed concerns regarding this project, and it was discussed with regret at MENC's own Philosophy Special Research Interest Group.

Collectively, the concerns of National Anthem Project opponents include the following ten points:

• (1) The National Anthem Project may increase singing of the “Star Spangled Banner”, but is unlikely to lead to improvements in music education. Like the “Mozart Effect,” use of the National Anthem Project for music advocacy brings greater attention to the work of music educators and music organization leaders, but it also denigrates music education by promoting the educational use of music as a tool for non-musical objectives (math achievement in one case, patriotism in the other).
• (2) The National Anthem Project advocates a narrowing of the curriculum by placing unprecedented emphasis on the patriotic music genre, and one song in particular. To the contrary, leading music education scholars advocate for a broadening of the music curriculum.
• (3) The National Anthem Project encourages American music teachers to focus on content and coverage rather than musical skills and understandings in their curriculum, an approach that is contrary to contemporary theories of instructional design.
• (4) The Star Spangled Banner has long been contested as an appropriate national anthem for the United States. Its melody is borrowed directly from an old drinking song “To Anacreon in Heaven”, and it features militaristic lyrics, with phrases such as “bombs bursting in air”, “conquer we must, when our cause it is just, let this be our motto”, etc. Rather than promoting this song, the largest arts educators organization could advocate for a song that is both lyrically and musically appropriate relative to other national anthems in the world (such as “America the Beautiful”).
• (5) Despite recent statements made on behalf of the National Anthem Project, its objectives have much more to do with patriotism than music. Chaired by First Lady Laura Bush, and sponsored by the American military, The National Anthem Project was launched during a highly controversial war with the following announcement on MENC’s homepage: “MENC is sponsoring The National Anthem to revive America's patriotism by educating Americans about the importance of The Star Spangled Banner-both the flag and the song.” Note that only the final word of this statement had anything to do with music.
• (6) Philosophers, from ancient times to the present, have suggested that uncritical nationalistic patriotism is rarely a virtue, and contemporary thinkers consider it to be an attitude that should not be deliberately instilled among students in a democracy if the purpose of education is to foster independent and creative thinkers.
• (7) The National Anthem Project facilitates the promotion of a corporate agenda in public schools, complete with company logos that clearly qualify as advertising. This kind of practice has been strongly criticized in numerous publications.
• (8) Since the National Anthem Project is unlikely to directly result in either a higher quality of music teaching or improved working conditions and job opportunities for American music teachers, it has very little to do with the raison d’etre or stated objectives of music education organizations. Music educator organizations exist for the purpose of strengthening music education, not patriotism.
• (9) With its emphasis on patriotic music, the spirit of the National Anthem Project appears to run counter to key concepts in the education field, such as peace studies, multiculturalism, and international education (see UNESCO's 2006 statement on arts education below).
• (10) Supporters of the National Anthem Project claim that the reason few Americans can remember all the words to the anthem is that music programs have been cut from public schools, and that therefore music programs must be retained so American heritage is preserved. They neglect to mention the following points: (a) lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner are notoriously awkward and difficult to remember, including historical terms that most children fail to comprehend, (b) many American school music programs emphasize instrumental music for which song lyrics are irrelevant, (c) for decades, many American students have learned the anthem in “civics”, “social studies”, or “home room” courses, rather than from school music programs, (d) the inability to remember all the words of the Star Spangled Banner is not a reliable indication of inadequate music instruction since many musicians – and music teachers – also do not know all the words to this song, (e) none of the leading music education philosophers have suggested that the instilling of patriotism should be an objective for music education in American public schools, and are clearly opposed to this project.

[edit] External links

• The National Anthem Project
• The National Association for Music Education
• Schools Sing to Show Patriotism
• "Oh Say Can You" Sing the National Anthem - MERIDIAN STAR
• NPR-Citizen Student: Teaching Patriotism in Time of War
• Martha Nussbaum - Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism
• Simon Keller - Patriotism as Bad Faith
• Emma Goldman - Patriotism: A Menace to Liberty

[edit] Related Publications

BOOKS:

• Boutwell, Clinton E. (1997). Shell Game: Corporate America's Agenda for Schools. Phi Delta Kappa. 
• Brown, Steven (2006). Music and Manipulation: On the Social Uses and Social Control of Music. Berghahn Books. 
• Franklin, M.I. (2005). Resounding International Relations: On Music, Culture, and Politics. Palgrave Macmillan. 
• Heller, Dana (2005). The Selling of 9/11: How a National Tragedy Became a Commodity. Palgrave Macmillan. 
• Jorgensen, Estelle R. (2003). Transforming Music Education. Indiana University Press. 
• Koza, Julia (2003). Stepping Across: Four Interdisciplinary Studies of Education and Cultural Politics. Peter Lang. 
• Russell, Bertrand (1984). Education & The Social Order. Unwin Paperbacks. 
• Saltmann, Kenneth J. (2000). Collateral Damage: Corporatizing Public Schools - A Threat To Democracy. Rowman & Littlefield. 
• Woodford, Paul G. (2005). Democracy and Music Education: Liberalism, Ethics, and the Politics of Practice. Indiana University Press. 

ARTICLES:

• Abril, Carlos (2007). Functions of a National Anthem in Society and Education: A Sociocultural Perspective. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 172, p. 69-87. 
• Allsup, Randall (2004). Imagining Possibilities in a Global World: Music, Learning, and Rapid Change. Music Education Research, 6(2). 
• Apple, Michael (2002). Patriotism, Pedagogy, and Freedom: On the Educational Meanings of September 11th. Teachers College Record, 104(8). 
• Ayers, William (2006, November). Toward a Fuller Humanity (Patriotism and Education Revisited). Phi Delta Kappan, 88(3), p. 237. 
• Beegle, Amy (2004). American Music Education 1941-1946: Meeting Needs and Making Adjustments During World War II. Journal of Historical Research in Music Education, 26. 
• Beegle, Amy (2005). Patriotism and Music Education in the United States of America. Proceedings of the Fifth Asia-Pacific Symposium for Music Education Research. 
• Beegle, Amy & Campbell, Patricia Shehan (2002). Teaching Music to Children in Times of Crisis. Orff Echo, 34. 
• Brubaker, R. (2004). In the Name of the Nation: Reflections on Nationalism and Patriotism. Citizenship Studies, 8(2). 
• Brueggemann, W. (2003). Patriotism for Citizens of the Penultimate Superpower. Dialog, 42(4). 
• Gee, Constance (2002). The “Use” and “Abuse” of Arts Advocacy and its Consequences for Music Education. New Handbook of Research on Music Teaching and Learning (R. Colwell & C. Richardson, Eds.), Oxford University Press. 
• Hebert, David G. (2006). Rethinking Patriotism: National Anthems in Music Education. Asia-Pacific Journal for Arts Education, 4(1). 
• Humphreys, Jere (2006). 2006 Senior Researcher Award Acceptance Address: Observations About Music Education Research in MENC's First and Second Centuries. Journal of Research in Music Education, 54(3). 
• Kertz-Welzel, Alexandra (2005). The Pied Piper of Hamlin: Adorno on Music Education. Research Studies in Music Education, 25. 
• Jorgenen, Estelle R. (2007, Fall). Songs to Teach a Nation. Philosophy of Music Education Review, 15. 
• Mahlmann, John J. [MENC Executive Director] (2004). On A Mission with MENC - More than a Song: Music Education and the National Anthem. Music Educators Journal, 91(1). 
• Meizel, Katherine (2006, December). A Singing Citizenry: Popular Music and Civil Religion in America. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 45(4), p. 497. 
• O’Brien, Tom (2002, January). The Importance of Being Earnest. Arts Education Policy Review, 103(3), p.35. 
• Quiong, L. (2004). What Does It Mean to Be an American?: Patriotism, Nationalism, and American Identity After 9/11. Political Psychology, 25(5). 
• Stinespring, John A. (2001, March). Preventing Art Education from Becoming “a Handmaiden to the Social Studies”. Arts Education Policy Review, 102(4), p.11. 
• UNESCO (2006, March 6). 2006 Joint Declaration of the UNESCO World Arts Conference (pdf), United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved on 2006-07-1. 

[edit] References