America the Dream

• Steve Schuch
• Posted 3/25/22
• 0 comments

America the Dream 

© 2020 Steve Schuch / Night Heron Music 

Oh beautiful when children sing, 
free from hate and fear. 
Now hear their laughter pure and sweet, 
young voices ringing clear. 

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The Power of Music

Music has a unique ability to touch people deep inside. As far back as we know, music has given “expression to the inexpressible.” It is a language beyond words. Music plays a vital role in religious ceremonies, our holidays and wedding celebrations, times of joy, and times of loss and grieving. Even before birth, a fetus is surrounded by the rhythm of the mother’s heartbeat. At the very end of life, someone with Alzheimer’s disease still remembers the songs from their childhood.  

Singing was an integral part of the Civil Rights era. Now at a time when our country feels increasingly fractured, group singing can help bring us together. As we listen to each other’s voices, we learn to blend our sound. Even breathing together encourages focus and unity. Songs can also remind us of the dreams we share in common: the promise of a community or nation that is more than any one of us alone.  

Not long ago, for our Dr. Martin Luther King Day celebration, I was selecting music for our children’s choir to perform. I got to wondering for a final song: What if we had an updated anthem everyone could sing together? A song for all ages, colors, religions and beliefs. What if we could weave together the opening lines of “America the Beautiful” with Dr. King’s dream for all America?  

America the Dream  

And so a new project and lyrics were born. By the last verse, there was not a dry eye in the crowd. Afterward people asked me, “why isn’t this being sung everywhere?” The same thing happened each time I shared the song with other groups. Another light bulb went off: Why not create a web site for the song, where people could download free copies? Everything from a simple Lead Sheet with guitar chords, to arrangements for children’s chorus with piano accompaniment, up through a cappella versions suitable for advanced choirs.  

The web site, AmericaTheDream.org, offers six different arrangements of the song. Beyond a basic verse/chorus structure, some versions feature Intro and Bridge sections as well. Each is available for free download, along with midi sound files of the full piece. There are also separate mp3 files of just the piano part (in case there isn’t an accompanist on hand).  

Evolution of a Song  

Looking back, creating this new version might seem like it was easy. Whipping up a couple “quick verses” usually IS easy. Writing new verses to older songs is a great way to introduce children to songwriting. It’s also a reminder how songs can have many different versions. Like democracy itself, nearly all creative work passes through multiple stages along the way.  

However, working with an anthem as beloved as “America the Beautiful,” and trying to merge it with the vision of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech — that is not so easy. It’s akin to the hurdles updating traditional hymns and liturgy to be more inclusive. One challenge is finding the balance in language and tone between the old and the new. In terms of the music, I wanted the arrangements to sound fresh, especially for the intermediate and advanced versions. Hence the new music for the Intro and Bridge sections.  

Then there was the matter of coming up with a “unifying chorus.”  

For a song that has become so popular, it’s remarkable that “America the Beautiful” does not have an actual chorus. This might explain why many people end up just repeating the first verse a couple of times. It’s also highly unusual when the title doesn’t appear in the lyrics at all! In recent years, the later verses are rarely sung. Language changes with time. So does awareness of inclusion and diversity.  

In working on the chorus for “America the Dream,” my co-writer Mike Bradley and I sought input from other songwriters, poets, school teachers and choir directors across the country. If possible, we wanted to find just the right language, at a time people are quick to judge and divide over even well-intentioned phrases. In the end, we opted for a “primary chorus” using the phrase “God grant that we may see… true brotherhood and sisterhood.” This feels closer to the older language that both Katharine Lee Bates and Dr. King would have recognized. The scores also offer a more modern sounding Alternate Chorus that some groups might prefer.  

Note: Feel free to consider both choruses with your group. If you come up with another chorus you like even better, that’s fine too. Please send it along. With your permission, I might even add it to our website.

Using This Song in the Classroom 

“America the Dream” can serve as a springboard for further classroom discussion, creative writing, books and related art projects — maybe even a school-wide mural! Consider displaying each child’s written “wish for America” or drawing. I’ve visited schools where each year, staff and students together make an arc of their handprints across a wall, forming a large rainbow of many colors.  

Here are a few ideas for group discussion or individual projects.  

• What is your (my or our) dream for America?  
• If you had a pen pal in another country who asked you what it means to be an American, what would you tell them?  
• If you could make a wish for your community, school, or country, what would it be?  
• What’s another verse we could write for this song?  
• If Dr. Martin Luther King were still alive, here’s a letter I’d like to write him.  

For more ideas, see “Lyrics in the Classroom” in the Resources section of our web site. You’ll also find more history behind the original “America the Beautiful,” along with “Suggested Books.“ 

Beyond the Classroom  

The sound of children’s voices singing this song is uplifting in any setting. Besides Martin Luther King Day and Black History month, “America the Dream” is ideal for a morning assembly, school concert, spring Earth Day celebration, Memorial Day event, or Music/Arts Night. All the scores include a page of just the lyrics, making it easy to include them in a program, or project them on a large screen. Consider inviting an audience of parents and adults to join their children in singing the Chorus!  

Sharing the Dream  

Many hands have contributed to this project. If your school or chorus performs a version of “America the Dream” please consider sending a recording or YouTube link to me at the website. Likewise, a photo of any artwork or creative writing inspired by the song. Over time I hope to add more “live” performance links, along with more songs and scores.  

Keep Singing, Steve Schuch 
AmericaTheDream.org

Read and download the inclusive lyrics developed by Steve Schuch and Mike Bradley here. 

This article was originally published by Music ConstructED on August 19, 2020.