Lift Every Voice and Sing

Levanta Cada Voz y Canta

Verse 1 + Chorus • A Cappella

Verso 1 + Estribillo • A Cappella

Monday, May 18, 2026 • All Periods (P2 • P4 • P5 • P6) • Music Studio • Mr. Mbagwu

Unit 6: Capstone Performance Project • Week 15 • Lesson 47

← L46 Unit 6 Kickoff

DO NOW • 3 MINUTES

Humming Wake-Up

Despertar Tarareando

03:00

Stay seated. Close your mouth gently. Hum a pitch you find easy. Hold it for 4 seconds. Stop. Hum again. Notice where you feel the buzz – lips? cheeks? chest?

Quédate sentado. Cierra la boca suavemente. Tararea un tono que te resulte fácil. Sosténlo 4 segundos. Repite. Nota dónde sientes la vibración.

DOK 1 – RECALL

Where in your body did you feel the hum?

I Can…

Yo Puedo…

I can SING verse 1 + chorus of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" a cappella using breath support, open vowels, and the song's 126-year history by performing three rounds with the class, joining the discussion, and writing one sentence on why it opens our Unit 6 Capstone showcase.

Puedo CANTAR el verso 1 + estribillo de "Lift Every Voice and Sing" a cappella usando soporte respiratorio, vocales abiertas, y la historia de 126 años de la canción al interpretar tres rondas con la clase, unirme a la discusión, y escribir una oración sobre por qué abre nuestro espectáculo final de la Unidad 6.

SUCCESS CRITERIA • I KNOW I HAVE GOT IT WHEN…

✓ I sang in all three rounds – including the a cappella Round 3.
✓ I named ONE vocal technique on my exit ticket AND the verse-1 line where it helped.
✓ I added at least one keyword to the "why group singing" discussion.
✓ I wrote one sentence that uses Round-3 evidence AND connects the song's history to my Capstone – earning at least 4 of 5 points.

Criterios de éxito: canté las 3 rondas, nombré una técnica + la línea, contribuí a la discusión, y escribí una oración con evidencia de la Ronda 3 (4 de 5 puntos).

UNIT 6 • WEEK 15 • Today's group singing earns us the right to perform alone – this song opens our Capstone showcase.

VOCAL WARMUP • 5 MINUTES • PREP FOR LIFT EVERY VOICE

Wake the Voice — Prep the Song

Despierta la Voz — Prepara la Canción

05:00

Diaphragmatic breathing diagram: inhale belly out, exhale belly in

1. Posture & Breath

Stand tall • shoulders down • hand on belly. Inhale 4 counts (belly OUT) • exhale on "sss" 8 counts (belly IN). Repeat 4×.

Why: Verse 1 has long phrases ("Ring with the harmonies of liberty"). Belly-breath = sustain.

75 sec

Marian Anderson — iconic Black American contralto, 1940 portrait by Carl Van Vechten

2. Lip Trills on G

Sustained "brrrr" on G (the song’s home note) • slide up to D and back. 4 cycles.

Why: Marian Anderson, who sang at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939 to 75,000 people in protest of segregation, used trill exercises to control breath without strain. Sets the ear in G major.

75 sec

Mahalia Jackson, Queen of Gospel, 1962 Library of Congress portrait

3. "NG" Sirens

Hum on "ng" (like the end of "sing") gliding low → high → low. 3 glides.

Why: Mahalia Jackson, the Queen of Gospel who recorded Lift Every Voice, reached the back of every church with her head voice. The "ng" lifts the soft palate — that’s how.

75 sec

Children's choir in red shirts singing together with hands raised

4. Echo the First Phrase

Mr. Mbagwu sings "Lift ev’ry voice and sing" on the song’s actual melody • class echoes. 3 times.

Why: 500 Black schoolchildren sang this song first — Jacksonville, 1900. We join that line. Locks pitch + rhythm + diction before the formal teach.

75 sec

Each step builds on the last: breath → voice on G → head voice for highs → the song itself. By minute 5, the room is ready.

THE STORY OF THIS SONG • 4 MINUTES

"Lift Every Voice and Sing"

"Levanta Cada Voz y Canta"

Jacksonville, Florida — February 12, 1900

Two brothers, both Black: James Weldon Johnson wrote the words; his brother J. Rosamond Johnson composed the music. James was principal of Stanton School, a segregated public school for Black children. The song was written for a school program celebrating President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, with Booker T. Washington as honored guest.

It was first sung by 500 Black schoolchildren at Stanton School. The schoolchildren learned it. Their parents learned it. It traveled.

Adopted by the NAACP — 1919

Nineteen years later, the NAACP officially adopted the song as the "Negro National Anthem" (a name that has evolved to "Black National Anthem"). For more than a century since, it has been sung at civil-rights gatherings, in Black churches, at HBCU graduations, at funerals, at protests, and in 2020 at the funeral for John Lewis on Capitol Hill.

Three verses. Today we focus on verse 1 + the chorus. A cappella by the end.

Full title: "Lift Every Voice and Sing." Written 1900 • Adopted by NAACP 1919 • Sung continuously for 126 years.

DOK 1 – RECALL

What is the song’s full title? Who wrote the words and the music? Where was it first sung?

READ THE MUSIC • THE SHEET MUSIC IN G MAJOR

All 3 pages stack — scroll down to flow through the song • tabs jump to a page • + / − or pinch to zoom • Ctrl+scroll to zoom • drag to pan • double-click to toggle zoom • ⛶ fullscreen • use the SmartBoard pen to annotate

VERSE 1 + CHORUS • 12 MINUTES

Phrase by Phrase – Today We Finish It

Frase por Frase – Hoy lo Terminamos

12:00

VERSE 1 (8 lines)

1. Lift ev’ry voice and sing,

2. Till earth and heaven ring,

3. Ring with the harmonies of liberty;

4. Let our rejoicing rise

5. High as the list’ning skies,

6. Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.

7. Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,

8. Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;

CHORUS (4 lines — this is what makes it complete)

1. Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,

2. Let us march on till victory is won.

(The chorus is the resolution. Verse 1 sets the question; the chorus answers it: "let us march on till victory is won.")

Teach order: phrases 1–2 echo → phrases 3–4 echo → phrases 5–6 echo → phrases 7–8 echo → chorus echo → full verse 1 + chorus together.

FULL VERSE 1 + CHORUS • 8 MINUTES

Three Rounds – A Cappella by Round 3

Tres Rondas – A Cappella en la Ronda 3

Round 1 – Soft (with track)

Track plays. Mr. Mbagwu plays piano. Sing softly to find the melody. Verse 1 + chorus.

Round 2 – Full (with piano)

Track off. Piano only. Full voice. Class carries the melody. Verse 1 + chorus.

Round 3 – A Cappella

No track. No piano. Just the room of voices — verse 1 + chorus. This is the goal.

Open on YouTube →

"Lift Every Voice and Sing" • James Weldon Johnson & J. Rosamond Johnson, 1900 • lyrics on screen • play UNDER Round 1 (soft) & Round 2 (full); MUTE for Round 3 (a cappella)

DOK 3 – ANALYZE

How did the room sound DIFFERENT in Round 3 (a cappella) than Round 1?

DISCUSSION • 5 MINUTES

Why Group Singing?

¿Por Qué Canto Grupal?

Group singing is older than recorded history. Across cultures, communities sing together at births, deaths, work, war, worship, and protest. Breathing together, locking pitch together, waiting for the same downbeat – these synchronize human bodies.

El canto grupal es más antiguo que la historia escrita. Las comunidades cantan juntas en nacimientos, muertes, trabajo, guerra, culto y protesta. Respirar y afinar juntos sincroniza cuerpos humanos.

DOK 4 – ARGUE

Why has group singing been central to social movements – civil rights, churches, sports stadiums, protests? Use today's experience as evidence.

FINAL GROUP SING • 3 MINUTES

One Last Time, A Cappella

Una Última Vez, A Cappella

One last time through verse 1. A cappella. Stand if you choose. No critique. The room holds the song.

Una última vez por el verso 1. A cappella. Levántate si quieres. Sin crítica. La sala sostiene la canción.

DOK 4 – CREATE

Listen to the room around you. What did your voice add to the whole?

EXIT TICKET 5 Points • Classwork (40%) 03:00

Q1 – Vocal Technique (2 pts)

Name ONE vocal technique you used today (breath support, open vowels, or phrase shaping) and a moment in verse 1 where it helped.

Nombra UNA técnica vocal que usaste hoy y un momento del verso 1 donde te ayudó.

1 pt = Names a technique • 1 pt = Specific moment in verse 1

Q2 – Anthem for the Showcase (3 pts)

We are claiming "Lift Every Voice and Sing" as the opening anthem of our Unit 6 Capstone showcase. In ONE sentence, why does it belong there? Use what you felt in Round 3 (a cappella) as evidence.

Reclamamos esta canción como el himno de apertura de nuestro espectáculo final de la Unidad 6. En UNA oración, ¿por qué pertenece allí? Usa lo que sentiste en la Ronda 3 (a cappella) como evidencia.

1 pt = Names a moment from Round 3 • 1 pt = Reason it fits the showcase • 1 pt = Connects past (1900–today) to your Capstone

📚 Submit on Google Classroom

Your Voice. Your Capstone. The Showcase.

Tu Voz. Tu Proyecto. El Espectáculo.

In 1900, 500 schoolchildren sang this song for the first time. Today, you stood in that line. The voice you used today is the same voice you will bring to Soundtrap this week and to the Capstone showcase.

Tomorrow • L48 — Soundtrap Recording Lab. Chromebooks open, headphones on, your accounts are live. You record verse 1 of your own Unit 5 piece – rap, sung, poem – on top of a Soundtrap track. The room sings together so you can record alone with confidence.

"Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy."

– Psalm 33:3

← L46 Unit 6 Kickoff