The “Count Us In” whole school performance took place at a special assembly on 22nd October 2009.  The student’s performance on the morning was fantastic and was a testament to the hard work and dedication of both staff and students.  Led by our talented choir, the song was sung beautifully by all.  This has been a very positive experience which has also led to many more students joining the choir.  I would like to thank everyone involved for their support of this event.

Robyn Veitch – Music specialist East Beechboro PS WA

We had a ball with Music Count Us In this year and used it to promote the link between Toormina High School and our feeder Primary schools. We had about 600 kids from Year 7 and four of our feeder Primary schools. It sounded fantastic and everyone was in an upbeat mood. Afterwards some of the schools stayed to enjoy a packed lunch on our hill. A great day was had by all. We'll try for bigger and better next year.

Bev Babbage, Music Teacher, Toormina High School, NSW

I think the impact hit me when my own mum said to me “.......so all these schools are bussing kids to you...........just to sing ONE song?” I said “YEAH! But, we sing it 6 or 7 times and they have a great time.”  She said “One song? For half an hour, those schools pay for the buses and transport them all the way to you just to do that?”.

And of course – you have to witness it to believe it. The primary teachers all commented on what a great activity it was, how much the kids loved the singing, how they begged every day to rehearse it and how excited they were about coming to a secondary school to sing with so many other schools.

Thank you to you and your team for the opportunity you have provided us. Even if the govt don’t listen, the day provides us with an excuse to get into schools and promote music education and also to show generalist primary teachers that you really just need energy and enthusiasm to promote and enjoy music with kids. That it is not something to be afraid of and think you don’t have the “qualifications” to do. Primary teachers watched as 630 children came to attention when the intro of the song was played without a word of direction from a single adult.  They simply began singing and dancing as one. It gives me goose bumps even as I type!

Kylie Morrish, Junior School Coordinator, Red Cliffs Secondary College, VIC

Murchison Primary School in northern Victoria is a small school of 105 students. We spent the first 3 weeks of term 4 learning ‘The Music is everything’ in our music classes as well as through literacy groups. We sang it, watched the videos through the website and learnt to play it on a variety of instruments. The bass guitar part transferred nicely to bass marimba (until we got to the key change!). On the big day we gathered out the front of the school and performed the song. The choir had learnt the song in 3 parts with 4 students leading – together with the rest of the choir they led the whole school community in singing. Selected students played our newly made marimbas along with other tuned and untuned percussion, piano, guitar and viola. We incorporated the day into our Kinder transition programme, so we sang the song 4 times with the older kids helping the kinder kids play percussion. We had a fantastic time and have put footage on our school wiki.

Charlotte Drinnan, Music Teacher, Murchison Primary School, VIC

We had 155 students and 6 teachers at Fairfield Public School, Sydney NSW participate. We had a fabulous time! Please let us know about the program for 2010... Thanks

Sharyn Kingston, Fairfield Public School, NSW

What a wonderful experience for the children. To know that so many other schools were singing at the same time was such a motivation as well. We all sang our hearts out. Well done Tina, to the composers and organizers. We'll keep singing ! looking forward to another event in 2010. Yours in music.

Jenny Sumeghy, Teacher, Hobartville Public School, NSW

Last Thursday we had classes from year Reception (5 year olds) - year 5 12 year olds singing with a year 10 music class being the band and leading the singing. We had over 200 students involved on the day. I will forwards some photos when I get them. Thanks for the opportunity to unite the school and community and nation together in Music. Looking forward to finding out what next year’s song will be.

Penny Vandervlag, Music Teacher, Kings Baptist Grammar School, Wynn Vale, SA

Well done! The 2009 MCUI event rolled along quite well. Our small part went ahead with only 3 schools in the end. They had a ball, and their families and the passers by all 'got it' during the course of the concert. Just on 200 students. Some well worded coverage in the local paper, with some follow up 'live broadcasts' from the community radio station planned for the remainder of the year and early next year. No TV and little additional air time from the commercial media... We still don't get any of the Southern Cross (Channel 10) community service assistance, so it all goes into the local 'what's on' segment that is broadcast mid morning on Sundays... I have not edited or compressed any of the photos in the zip file, so I hope it doesn't crash your in box. We have some video of our performances as well. I will compress them and send through the highlights.

One interesting thing did come out of it all. Not so much from the students and their parents but more so from my colleagues. They are beginning to come out of their work (or overwork) induced 'haze' and are at least discussing some of the issues, and the national curriculum in parts. I'm still having a go at consulting with the group that organises some of our regional Arts Festivals to see if they can acknowledge the MCUI event and embrace it mid year when we all go mad for the 'one off' performances that the organisers try to convince themselves are part of the everyday school classes.

Peter Schuhmacher, Music Teacher, Macintyre High School, Inverell, NSW

These photos are from Loveday Primary School, South Australia, and we are registered with the Music. Count Us In campaign. The photos are of the small number of children at Loveday Primary School joining in the last Thursday Aust- wide sing. 

Dorothy Dunk, Music Teacher, Loveday Primary, SA

Here are a few photos from Ripponlea Primary School’s efforts for the “Music. Count Us In”. I am only half time as music specialist at the school and the event was on a day I am not there. Never the less, I taught the song to all the students and had the Preps use scarves and ribbons to accentuate the chorus with some simple choreography which they loved doing. The teachers made sure it happened despite my absence to lead (and took these photos for me). The event was a great success and enjoyed by all! Congratulations on a great promotion of the value of music in our schools and communities.

Tanya Harms, Music Teacher, Ripponlea Primary School, East St Kilda, VIC