The Australian National Anthem has a big problem – the average Aussie can’t sing it in tune

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Hargreaves, Wendy. 2023. "The Australian National Anthem has a big problem – the average Aussie can’t sing it in tune." The Conversation.
Article Title

The Australian National Anthem has a big problem – the average Aussie can’t sing it in tune

Article CategoryBlog
AuthorsHargreaves, Wendy
Publication TitleThe Conversation
Year2023
Place of PublicationAustralia
Web Address (URL)https://theconversation.com/the-australian-national-anthem-has-a-big-problem-the-average-aussie-cant-sing-it-in-tune-197400
Abstract

I have one prayer as I watch the Australian cricket team sing Advance Australia Fair patriotically before a match – “Please don’t turn on their microphone.” Like many Australians, their “joyful strains” of our anthem are … well, just strained.

It’s not their fault they misspent their youth playing cricket instead of taking singing lessons. And it’s not their fault they got so good they now have to sing in front of thousands before they can play.

But there is a fault. We’ve given them an anthem that average Aussies can’t sing in tune together.

KeywordsAdvance Australia Fair, anthem, singing, vocal range
Contains Sensitive ContentDoes not contain sensitive content
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020360304. Music performance
Byline AffiliationsUniversity of Southern Queensland
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https://research.usq.edu.au/item/wq513/the-australian-national-anthem-has-a-big-problem-the-average-aussie-can-t-sing-it-in-tune

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