Losing their voices: the struggle for a nation's anthem and its people.(Forum focus: independent music teachers)

Quick? Finish this verse: "O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light ..."

Stumped? Well, you aren't alone. Surprisingly, nearly two out of three Americans (61 percent) cannot correctly recite or complete the words to the United States' national anthem, according to a recent Harris Interactive survey of 2,200 Americans.

In addition, roughly 38 percent of American teens could not identify, by name, the nation's official song (The Star Spangled Banner), according to an ABC News poll.

In efforts to improve these disparaging statistics regarding the national anthem, MTNA has joined forces with the National Association for Music Education (MENC) and other organizations to promote "The National Anthem Project: Restoring America's Voice."

This one-of-a-kind grassroots project, developed by MENC, is an attempt at rekindling national awareness of American traditions, promoting the significance of The Star Spangled Banner and re-teaching Americans to sing the national anthem through a three-year national consumer education campaign targeting schools, professional sporting events and other local events.

"MTNA is delighted to join MENC in its efforts to re-teach The Star Spangled Banner to the nation," says MTNA Executive Director Gary Ingle. "I encourage all MTNA members to embrace this endeavor and to do their part to teach the national anthem to their students."

John Mahlmann, MENC's executive director, blames a combination of school music program budget cuts and a difficulty in learning the words of the song, as a reason Americans are silenced when it comes to the national anthem. "For years, school music classes have been the first to be cut and we are now seeing the ramifications firsthand. If we can't sing our own national anthem, we can't voice pride in our country and what it stands for," Mahlmann said. "Music in schools provides the platform for patriotism that stays with us for a lifetime."