

Professor Sharon R. Seaton, Ed.D., Coordinator, NAA Training Center Coordinator is organizing the links for the NAA’s COVID-19 Survival Kit (See March USA News for more details):
Here is the NAA Weekly Challenge 19: Independence Day
1. The NAA is offering to our members and guests what we have named the “52 Challenge.” Once a week for the next 52 weeks, we will create a project for you to initiate or complete that involves the accordion or some aspect of music. You will receive an email each Friday that reveals and explains the activity. Some activities will be quite easy to perform while others will consist of a more extended commitment of time and effort.
2. Our mission is to encourage our members to continue pursuing their love of the accordion! This is not a time for a break in accordion activity. It is true that most public accordion engagements have been on hold for the last year because of the need for players to remain distanced from each other and from audiences. We have missed playing and have missed each other!
Weekly Challenge 19: July 4 is just around the corner! Americans everywhere in the U.S.A. will be celebrating our country’s birthday in some way: picnics, cookouts, family get-togethers, firework displays. Our Week 19 Challenge is to be prepared to play at least one patriotic number on the accordion, and to perform it for at least one person.
There are a number of patriotic songs to choose from, such as “America the Beautiful”,” My Country Tis of Thee”, “God Bless America”, “Star-Spangled Banner”, “You’re a Grand Old Flag”, “Yankee Doodle Dandy”, “This Land is Your Land”. If this will be a new experience for you, and since there are just a few days until the Fourth, you may want to choose an easier one to learn. “My Country Tis of Thee” or “America the Beautiful” are relatively simple.
When I was a freshman music major in college music theory class, we were required to be able to play “My Country Tis of Thee” in every key. Of course, we did not have access to the music in all the keys, so that meant we had to transpose the song “in our heads.”
While this was a bit of a challenge for some students, it is also a good skill to have if one is accompanying a singer. Sometimes singers will find the written key of a song to be in an uncomfortable range for their voice and will ask you to change keys
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Week 19 Challenge for you is to play the song you choose, either by finding the music, which should be available online if necessary, or by playing it “by ear.” Then, if you are up to it, try playing it in one or more different keys. And as you do this, notice the highest notes and the lowest notes. As you will see, every key is not appropriate for most singers!
I hope you have a fun-filled holiday and that you will consider adding a little live music to your social gathering!
Please mark your calendar! National Accordion Conventions: The NAA conventions will continue to be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in North Dallas Hotel until further notice.
The scheduled dates are:
* March 16-19, 2022
* March 15-18, 2023
Dr. Sharon R. Seaton, NAA Director
accordionsharon@yahoo.com