MINNEAPOLIS — It’s easy to mess up.

“The Star-Spangled Banner” will open many a celebration on July 4th. But as numerous social media videos show, the national anthem can be a trap for singers.

It requires a wide vocal range — 12 notes from low B flat to high F — and has a lot of melodic jumps.

Still, there’s room for singers to put their mark on it — think of the color and emotion that Whitney Houston, Fergie, Chris Stapleton, Marvin Gaye and, recently, Kristin Chenoweth have brought to the anthem, which was adopted officially in 1931. It comes from the first of four verses in Francis Scott Key’s poem, “Defence of Fort M’Henry.”

We asked Minnesotans who have sung the anthem, from an 11-year-old student to a 98-year-old blues legend, about the challenges and charms of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Laura Osnes

Who’s she: The Eagan High School grad and Broadway star was nominated for Tonys for playing the title characters in “Cinderella” and “Bonny & Clyde.”

About the anthem: Has sung it at Timberwolves, Wild and Minnesota Twins games in an Americana style with a touch of country. “That’s a very vulnerable experience — you’re very exposed and there’s no room for error, especially in front of tens of thousands of people."

Preparing for it: “This isn’t a song that you go around singing in the shower, so you practice and prepare. You also have to know what note you’re going to start on so you stay within your range.”

On riffs: “My style is not to riff or make choices outside the box but to hit the note with gusto. There’s no need for extra vocal fireworks. It’s our national anthem. Let the heart behind it remain true.”

Her advice: “If you start too high there’s nowhere to go.”

James Samuel ‘Cornbread’ Harris Jr.

Who’s he: The 98-year-old jazz and blues composer, singer and pianist, whose hits include “Put the World Back Together,” has lived under different anthems, including “America — My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” which served unofficially until “The Star-Spangled Banner” was adopted. The World War II veteran is the father of Grammy-winning music producer Jimmy Jam.

History with the anthem: “I’ve sung it since I was a kid. And I might’ve mumbled it here and there, mostly at my [weekly] gigs [at Palmer’s Bar in Minneapolis].”

Favorite version: “Ella Fitzgerald’s. That lady could sing. She had perfect pitch and could just ad-lib anywhere in a song and come right back to where the song was supposed to be moving.”

Favorite part: “‘O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.’ Those lines make me feel a whole lot of things when I’m singing them. In my own mind, they get me into questioning who’re the free people and who are the brave.”

Serena Brook

Who’s she: An Eagan High School grad and classmate of Laura Osnes, Brook has acted at the Guthrie Theater, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres and Theater Latte Da. She is a headliner in Artistry’s “Singin’ in the Rain,” which starts July 31.

On expectations: “People are used to a pop-centered approach to the anthem, with a lot of riffs and big belting, so when they hear it sung in a classical style, like Kristin Chenoweth just did, it can be polarizing.”

Favorite part: “The big buildup at the end is always fun to hear in a stadium. It’s when everyone starts getting pumped.”

On tackling it: “Let the words guide. Dynamics are very helpful. You want to save some of the big forte moments until the end. And then you just let it rip.”

Jamecia Bennett

Who’s she: The lead singer of Sounds of Blackness is a three-time Grammy winner from a musical family that includes Grammy-winning mother Ann Nesby and “American Idol” finalist daughter Paris Bennett.

How she sees the anthem: “It’s weighty — everyone knows it and has an opinion about it. But I don’t overthink it. When I sing ‘the land of the free and the home of the brave,’ I really feel the words in my soul like for the first time. We may hear them a lot but they’re fresh to me.”

Sung at: Lynx, Timberwolves and Vikings games, and at the Atlanta Summer Olympics.

Her advice: “You have to be careful to pick your key, maintain breath control and not peak early. You want to have vocal finesse and originality without straying too far from the melody. It’s a beautifully written anthem and you want to unleash the soul of all of that bold, brassy power.”

Monet Sabel

Who’s she: After playing Carole King in “Beautiful” at Chanhassen, she is currently onstage as Fräulein Kost in the Guthrie Theater’s “Cabaret.”

On expectations: “Everyone knows the song and what to listen for. So if you go for a note and don’t quite reach it, it’s humiliating.”

On her voice: “You have to know your instrument. My voice loves a bigger, warmer, lower sound. It’s classical but jazzy.”

The gratification: “I love the strong ending. It’s so well crafted, and when you get it right, the crowd goes wild, and you get chills.”

Kasano Mwanza

Who’s he: The Teen Angel in Chanhassen Dinner Theatre’s “Grease” is also an author and recording artist.

His performances: At Target Field before a Twins game and on cruise ships for veterans.

The hallmarks: “It has these markers that we, as listeners, anticipate with our ears, hearts and minds. If you screw those up, the power dissolves. So, I ride the melody to get to a depth and gravity.”

When he’s singing it: “I plug right into the emotion of the song — its sincerity, its strong faith and the hope that we’re going to light the world with glory.”

Chloe Sorensen

Who’s she: The sixth-grader at St. Francis Middle School recently played Young Elsa in the Children’s Theatre Company’s “Frozen.”

About the anthem: “It makes me feel happy and proud to be an American. It is a dream of mine to one day sing it in a stadium.”

Most challenging part: “The end of the song. Those last few notes can be a little tricky.”

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