The National Anthem

What a bittersweet day Memorial Day is! I always feel a surge of National pride as well as a strong sense of sadness and loss. Later this morning I will attend the Memorial Day Parade in Ellington and I will cheer and clap and cry. Music informs almost everything I do and our National Anthem informs my love for my country. How many of you know the words? How many of you sing along? When I was 19, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to the former USSR and several other Eastern European countries with my college choir. In 1988, the Berlin Wall was still standing, and in the countries we travelled to, the singing of national anthems was illegal. At the beginning, we didn't know this. In preparation for our trip, we learned the national anthems of Estonia, Hungary, Poland, and Russia. I've sung our National Anthem for as long as I can remember ~ I sang it before High School Basketball Games, Football Games and at my High School Graduation as part of quartet. What was the big deal? Our first concert was in Tallin, Estonia. We sang well and the audience appreciated our performance. As we began to sign the Estonian National Anthem though, something magical happened. It wasn't on the program. That wouldn't have been approved. Within the first 2 notes, the audience began to rise to their feet. As we looked out, we saw people joining us in song, weeping as they sang. It was completely overwhelming to my 19 year old self. Only after the concert, did our Director tell us that the singing of these songs was illegal. Because we were a traveling choir on a goodwill trip, we could "get away with it." Those Estonians in the audience had not had the opportunity to hear or sing their National Anthem for many many years. This experience was repeated in each country we sang in and every time the response was the same. When we returned from our travels, I watched a baseball game on television with my Dad. As the National Anthem began, I saw people sitting, talking, wearing their hats, making fun of the high notes.... I WAS FURIOUS! Didn't they know how lucky they were? Didn't they understand how important this was? Where was their respect? I asked my Dad what was wrong with them. His reply? "We live in a country where they are free to do just that." To this day, I hold the singing of The Star Spangled Banner to be sacred. I am frustrated when it is "performed" in a way that discourages people from singing along. I LOVE to hear people of all ages joining in - singing in tune or not! For me, our National Anthem is a reminder that we live in a country where we can sing what we want, say what we want, do what we want. We can disagree with the powers that be and we have the ability, should we choose to exercise it, to change those very people at the top when we think they are wrong. We are free. Free to be stupid, free to make bad decisions, and free to be disrespectful. We are also free to think, make good decisions and teach respect by example. We the people are free to change the world for the better if we choose to accept the challenge to do so.