Every school day at 8:15 am, the junior high on the opposite corner of our block plays the Star-Spangled Banner over the PA system, and we can hear it (if nothing else loud, like the TV, is going on). It used to be a recording of a group of young people singing, but they seem this year to have changed to a recording of a single woman vocalist, who's quite good. When she climbs "land of the free" she makes me reconsider my thought that "America the Beautiful" would make for a better anthem.

Do kids still learn music in school at all? In the lower grades, I mean, not counting marching and jazz bands in high school. Is it completely up to the individual teachers whether any traditional songs are sung? In fifth grade we did some singing of various folky songs including "Puff the Magic Dragon" and songs from the Muppet Movie (though even at that age there were beginning to be classmates who mumbled and balked at the uncoolness of singing out loud). But there was a music class once a week or so (I think) where we sang songs out of a book of traditional American folk music, including "My Country 'Tis of Thee" and "America the Beautiful" and also things like "when Johnny comes marching home" (the line "and we'll all be gay when Johnny comes marching home" always provoked snickers) and "This Land is Your Land".

Some time ago I saw a part of some black and white World War 2 movie on TV, a scene where a bunch of new soldiers-to-be were on a train heading for camp. Someone had a guitar, and started singing, and the whole railroad car of young men began to sing along; everyone knew the music and the words, as the train chugged on into the night, towards war. I don't remember what movie it was, or what song(s), but it's one of the more wonderful things I've ever seen. Taking a random cross-section sample of present-day Americans, how likely is it that you could find any song that everyone would know? How and when did that change happen? Is it because of increasing diversity of backgrounds due to immigration? Changes in styles of popular music? Fewer people working outdoors where singing helped pass the time and lighten the load? Families not any more doing anything so cheesy as singing songs together of an evening, but entertaining themselves (TV, telephone, computer) in separate rooms instead?

Music and art classes: often the first to be budget-cut. Just because something is hard to quantify, and not tested for, doesn't mean it's not important. I didn't get to take any art classes in high school, because I had such a full college-prep schedule, but I think it would have been good for me, and I certainly would have liked it. And even though I took piano lessons outside of school, it would have been fun to be in a class where there was singing. With so many interesting ways that Americans are different from each other, I think it would be good if everyone had at least a few songs in common.

Probably one of the best candidates for a song that every American would recognize at this point is the Star Spangled Banner. Even then most people only know a few bits of the words. But, I hope, through morning public address systems and sports events, it remains one bit of music that's somewhat commonly known. At least we can all remember to climb "the land of the free" together.

contents of the purple tricycle are copyright 2003 carrie lynn king unless otherwise noted.