National Anthem Project - Project Background

Project Background

According to a 2004 Harris Interactive survey, 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. 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.”)

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 billion spent on teaching American children goes to music, which means 55 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. “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.”