Patriotism, nationalism, and national identity in music education: ‘O Canada,’ how well do we know thee?

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine Canadian secondary school choral students' skill in singing the national anthem. The sample (N = 275) consisted of students from 12 schools, representing six provinces in Canada. Students were audio taped singing 'O Canada' in English, French, or in a combination of both languages and subsequently completed a questionnaire. Results indicated that few students could sing the national anthem perfectly. Although students were significantly more accurate in remembering the lyrics than in singing the melody (p < .0001), only 67% were judged proficient in lyrics whereas a mere 46% were judged proficient in melody. Possible reasons for these poor results include the frequency with which students sing the anthem in secondary schools, the fact that three-quarters named a classroom teacher in the early/elementary years as being the one responsible for teaching them the anthem, the shift to solo versus group singing in public events, and the inconsistency with which music education is delivered in elementary schools. Implications for practice indicate that more emphasis be placed on assisting choir members to sing the anthem accurately, more opportunities be provided in secondary schools for students to sing the anthem, and more curricular attention be placed on teaching students both English and French versions.

‘It’s all about our great Queen’: The British National Anthem and national identity in 8–10-year-old children

“…It appears that the identification of the BNA by the children in the present study is inferior to children of a similar age tested by Jahoda in 1963. This resonates with findings from recent studies; in Canada, Kennedy and Guerrini (2012) reported ‘disappointing’ findings where only 54% of secondary school children could correctly sing the melody of their National Anthem. Work in Britain, also carried out in the run-up to the London Olympics, reports that British national identity is not as salient to children as other dimensions of their identity, such as their ethnicity (Lam and Corson, 2013).…”

“…This issue is already receiving interest across many countries. For example, Kennedy and Guerrini (2012), on the basis of their work with Canadian children, argue that the school environment is the most appropriate in which to instil a sense of national identity in children.…”

Harmony Choir: Strenghtening Nationalism Through the Activity of Singing National Song

“…The result is that there is a strong relationship between the National Anthem and the national flavor of the participants, when compared to other music [26]. In contrast to previous studies with Canadian children, the school environment is the most appropriate for instilling a sense of national identity in children [27]. The school is a good place to instill national values through learning national songs.…”

Reading and Mapping the Worldviews of Island States through National Anthems: Celebrating Deity, Identity, Landscapes and Unity

“…Some researchers have a regional focus or compare several countries such as Europe (Clark 1997;Csepeli & Örkény 1997;Eyck 1995); Eastern Europe (Merdjanova 2000); English West Africa (Amenorvi & Grumah 2019); Africa (Cusack 2005(Cusack , 2008; Libya, France and Albania (Mirza 2019); and South Asia (Thirumalai 2007). Other researchers have focused on anthems of individual states, such as Australia (Barker 2009;Kelen 2003); Canada (Kennedy & Guerrini 2012;Lehr 1983); Germany (Feinstein 2000); Finland (De Gorog 1989); Taiwan (Guy 2002); China (Liao et al 2012); South Africa (Byerly 1998); Russia (Daughtry 2003), and Romania (Chelaru 2018).…”