99 years ago this Saturday, Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics to the national anthem of the United States, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” It describes a battle during the War of 1812.
The national anthem is usually played or sung before sporting events like football or basketball games, and on other important national holidays.
You can listen to “The Star-Spangled Banner” and read the lyrics at the same time:
O say can you see By the dawn’s early light, What so proudly we hailed At the twilight’s last gleaming, Whose broad stripes and bright stars Through the perilous fight, O’er the ramparts we watched, Were so gallantly streaming? And the rockets’ red glare, The bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night That our flag was still there; O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, O’er the land of the free And the home of the brave?
dawn = early morning hailed = saluted twilight = early evening gleaming = glowing broad = wide perilous = dangerous o’er = over ramparts = walls gallantly = bravely, impressively glare = brightness bursting = exploding star-spangled = decorated with stars
Here is a song from the Hip-Hop group, Blackalicious. The song goes through words that begin with the letters A, B, C, D, E, F and G. You can listen to the song and read the lyrics below. How many of the words do you know? What new words did learn or have questions about. The man who sings the song is named Gift of Gab. Do you know what it means to have the gift of gab? Do you know someone who has the gift of gab? Let us know in the comments section.
This post is from Weekend teacher, David Moss. David is also a Jazz musician, he plays bass. Here is a photo of him at one of our class parties (David is on the left).
Check out David’s new website. You can listen to some music and read his biography. Check back for updates!
Below David tells us about Jazz music and one of his favorite musicians, Miles Davis. You can see some pictures and listen to some music Miles made throughout the years.
Jazz is the only art form invented in the United States. Many other countries can claim to have invented more than just one form of art, but for the U.S., they can only claim Jazz as their unique invention and contribution to the art world. There are several noteworthy musicians who were innovators of Jazz, with Charlie Parker being the main innovator who kicked it off and ignited the flame for the rest of the 20th century. However, another musician who came from St. Louis, Missouri, and “hunted down” Charlie Parker in New York City to join his band when he was only 17 years old, was the trumpet player Miles Davis. Miles continues to be recognized in history as the most influential and famous (most recognized) Jazz musician ever.
Every decade, from the 1940’s up until the time of his death in 1991, Miles tried something new, and “changed with the times” along with how the state of consciousness and culture was changing. He adapted and created music that was relevant to any present time. In the 1940s, he would contribute to Be-Bop, in the 50s it would innovate “cool” music, which was vastly different than any other trumpet player during that time. In the 1960s, he would go on to pioneer the way for hard hitting Hard Bop. The 1970s also saw a radical change with Miles using a lot of electronic instruments, synthesizers and pedals for trumpet. In the 1980s, Miles led the way in the genre of Fusion, continuing to use a lot of Pop electric sounds. The fascinating part of it all was that Miles Davis always sounded like Miles, no matter what configuration or experimentation he would embark in, one always knew that Distinct, personalized tone and sound that Miles had.
Miles Davis also helped many other musicians launch their own careers, because basically if you played with Miles Davis, then you had to always be good enough. Miles was renown for choosing the right musicians at the right time for his bands. He thought like an artist, knowing how to use each musician to achieve the effects he desired.
Marilyn Monroe is perhaps the most famous actress from America. She was born on June 1, 1926, which would make her 87 years old – were she alive, that is.
Unfortunately, she died. In the year 1962, she was found dead in her home in California. The cause was probably a drug overdose, but there’s still a mystery about it.
Read the information below from Wikipedia, watch a video for a song written by Elton John about Marilyn, read the song’s lyrics, then take the quiz to test your comprehension.
Marilyn Monroe (real name: Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962) was an American actress, model, and singer, who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of successful movies during the 1950s and early 1960s.
After spending much of her childhood in foster homes, Monroe began a career as a model, which led to a film contract in 1946 with Twentieth Century-Fox. Her early film appearances were small, but her performances in The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve (both 1950), drew attention.
By 1952 she had her first leading role in Don’t Bother to Knock and 1953 brought a lead in Niagara, a melodramatic mystery that showed her seductiveness. Her “dumb blonde” persona was used in later comedies such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) and The Seven Year Itch (1955).
The final years of Monroe’s life were marked by illness, personal problems, and a reputation for unreliability and being difficult to work with. The circumstances of her death, from an overdose of barbiturates, have been the subject of debate. Though officially classified as a “probable suicide,” the possibility of an accidental overdose, as well as of murder, have not been ruled out.
In 1999, Monroe was ranked as the sixth-greatest female star of all time by the American Film Institute. In the decades following her death, she has often been called a cultural icon as well as the quintessential American sex symbol. In 2009, TV Guide Network named her No. 1 in Film’s Sexiest Women of All Time.
Candle in the Wind
by Elton John & Bernie Taupin
Goodbye Norma Jean
Though I never knew you at all
You had the grace to hold yourself
While those around you crawled
They crawled out of the woodwork
And they whispered into your brain
They set you on the treadmill
And they made you change your name
chorus
And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to
When the rain set in
And I would have liked to have known you
But I was just a kid
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend ever did
Loneliness was tough
The toughest role you ever played
Hollywood created a superstar
And pain was the price you paid
Even when you died
Oh the press still hounded you
All the papers had to say
Was that Marilyn was found in the nude
[repeat chorus]
Goodbye Norma Jean
Though I never knew you at all
You had the grace to hold yourself
While those around you crawled
Goodbye Norma Jean
From the young man in the 22nd row
Who sees you as something more than sexual
More than just our Marilyn Monroe
Robert Lee Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963) was an American poet. He is well known for his realistic writings of rural life and his use of American informal (slang) speech. His poems were often set in rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, and used these settings to look at complex social and philosophical themes. Frost has often been quoted by other people. He was honored often during his lifetime, receiving four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry.
The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim Because it was grassy and wanted wear, Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I marked the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
Above is a picture of the Chicago River, but why is it green?!
This Sunday, March 17th is Saint Patrick’s Day. Listen to the song ‘When Irish Eyes are Smiling‘ and read about the holiday from Simple Wikipedia. You can also watch a fun, animated video about St. Patrick’s Day:
Saint Patrick’s Day is the feast day of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland and a day of celebration for Irish people. It is celebrated on March 17 all over Ireland and everywhere in the world where Irish people or their descendants live. New York City has one of the biggest parades. It is a very Irish festival and it involves a lot of feasting and celebrations, which includes traditional Irish music, drinking Guinness and eating bacon and cabbage. Another tradition is one has to wear green clothing or they will be pinched. Green is the color for Saint Patrick’s day as it is the national color of Ireland and people often wear green on that day or have some type of shamrock on their clothing.
