Part 1: America: score + sound + video

The song America was composed by Leonard Bernstein (USA, 1918-1990) for the soundtrack of the 1961 musical West Side Story. He wrote music in different genres, for example, piano pieces, orchestral works and music for ballet, film and theatre. He was also a worker in favour of civil rights, human rights and world peace.

Rita Moreno, the Puerto Rican actress and singer, performed the song and won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Anita in the musical.

America has a distinctive characteristic: the use of mixed meter, alternating between 6/8 and 3/4 time signatures. This combination is also typical of Guajira, a music genre from Cuba. Later, this mixture of 6/8 and 3/4 time signatures was adopted in Spanish flamenco, especially in Peteneras, which often include sad and melancholic lyrics. Peteneras follow a twelve-beat structure divided into two parts: one in 6/8 and the other in 3/4.

Now pay attention to the sound file. Were you singing properly?

Finally, whether you would like to check sound and see the notes or receive extra help, here's the video score. 

Part 2: America: silent bars

Now the same but with some silent bars. Sing the notes even in the silent bars, trying to keep the beat and paying attention to notes and other score markings.

Here you have got the sound file with the silent bars. You may use it to help you know if you are singing it correctly.

Part 3: America: accompaniment

The next step is singing the whole song by only listening to the accompaniment. This is a new stage. By now you should be able to sing all the bars if you have rehearsed enough part 1 (listening to the complete melody) and part 2 (listening to the melody but with some silent bars).

Below you have got the sound file corresponding to the accompaniment.