BALTIMORE, Md. -- According to a Harris poll, two out of three Americans don't know the words to the national anthem.

In an effort to increase that number, a group called the National Anthem Project is trying to help America learn the words.

On Thursday morning, several Harford County middle school students sang the national anthem under a tent in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor during a public choir rehearsal.

The concert was prompted by a national concern that far too many people don't know the words.

“We're restoring America's voice, promoting music education in America by reteaching our national anthem,” said Cliff Siler of the National Anthem Project.

For the students who attended the event, they discovered that it’s not just the words that are important, but also the meaning behind them.

One student said, “People are out there fighting for us so we can have our freedom.”

Another person responded, “They should know it, because it stands for liberty after the war over there.”

This week Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., had a little trouble with the national anthem. He sang “O'er say can you see, by star sparely light,” instead of the correct words.

The national anthem was written in Baltimore by Francis Scott Key as he witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry.

To learn the words yourself, visit USFlag.org