Your Reliable Source for the History of U.S. Patriotic Music
Celebrating the History of the U.S. National Anthem
Star Spangled Songbook
Our Star-Spangled Songbook and Poets & Patriots recordings offer teachers great tools to teach U.S. history, not only about the anthem but events such as the French Revolution and the U.S. Civil War; historical figures such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and themes such as immigration, civil rights, and patriotic values.
Our Commitment to Anti-Racism
The Star Spangled Music Foundation stands against racism and in solidarity with those outraged by the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, as well as countless others who have died because of anti-black racism.
We believe in the art of democracy and in the power of music to amplify the voices of those denied the ability to speak or the respect of being heard. We are committed to research and dissemination of music by black composers and all composers of color. We promise to expand these efforts and will critically examine the complex history of American patriotic art, especially as it reflects and perpetuates the pestilence of racism.
The Star Spangled Music Foundation will use our time, energy, and resources to enhance cultural understanding and propel a robust civic dialogue.
Current projects featuring anti-racist song
and the music of black composers
Our Mission
Featured by The New York Times, the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press, the Washington Post, CNN, CNN, C-Span, the Smithsonian, Encyclopedia Britannica, PBS, Slate.com, The New York Times again, The Choral Journal, and Chorus America’s The Voice, StarSpangledMusic.Org and the Star Spangled Music Foundation were created in celebration of song in America’s musical life. We aim to provide reliable, scholarly research findings to reveal the forgotten and complex history of U.S. patriotic music.
Our top rated resources include:
Music
- Poets & Patriots Recordings
- Star Spangled Songbook
Sheet music history book - Free Star Spangled Music Editions!
Free vocal, choral, band, and orchestral scores.
Videos and Exhibits
Our Poets & Patriots recording project features 37 tracks and we have created dozens of videos you can use in your classroom.
Our Banner Moments Exhibit: now available for your local school, library or museum.
The Star Spangled Music Foundation
Our mission is to bring teacher-tested curricular materials and the best of musicological research on American music to students, teachers, and the public, with a focus on accurate and high quality information and teaching tools about American song. Like democracy itself, song requires active participation. Song is as much a verb as a noun. It offers a means to practice citizenship and for Americans young and old to discuss who we are and who we want to be as US citizens and citizens of the world.
Latest from the Star Spangled Blog
- Poet Amanda Gorman’s Anthem Protest Lyric
In apparent response to the tragic holiday shootings in Highland Park, Illinois on July 4, 2022, the American… Continue reading Poet Amanda Gorman’s Anthem Protest Lyric - Walt Whitman’s Lost Fourth of July Anthem Lyric
To celebrate the Fourth of July in 1846, American poet and journalist Walt Whitman composed a new lyric… Continue reading Walt Whitman’s Lost Fourth of July Anthem Lyric - New Book: O Say Can You Hear?
A Cultural Biography of “The Star-Spangled Banner”by Mark Clague I can hardly believe the book is done! These… Continue reading New Book: O Say Can You Hear?
Please Explore!
Many, many other resources can be found by exploring our site or use the search box above to find pages connected to your interests.
Don’t see what you need? Send an email to info@starspangledmusic.org with questions or suggestions!