We are proud to announce that we now have a not for profit association called 'Hearts in Harmony Community Music' - bulding healthy communities through inclusive music for all ages, faiths and cultures!

‘Hearts in Harmony’ began at the beginning of 2010. It is based on social inclusion with programs that are multicultural, multi faith, inter generational and cross all areas of society. The programs help to develop positive connections, enhance health and well being, self esteem and confidence in a fun, engaging and non threatening environment. No experience is necessary, just a willingness to participate and have a go. Everyone is welcome.

“On Sunday the 1^st of May, 2011, I experienced the true meaning of community music. I was witness to the joy and energy that comes from communication through the Arts, and I felt the uniting tie of music as it connected me with new and wonderful people.” Bree Monks, 4^th Year B.Ed student, ACU

OUR PROGRAMS

‘Hearts in Harmony’ community choir - we sing a range of songs from around the world covering different styles incorporating movement, actions, signing, improvisation and playing of percussion instruments. We rehearse weekly and perform regularly at concerts, festivals and special events.

‘Hearts in Harmony’ community music days - each event involves practical workshops in one or some of the following; singing, folk dancing, playing instruments such as African drums, marimbas, wacky instruments or ukuleles, a lunchtime concert and music for kids led by experienced educators and artists. To date, there have been 4 full day events in 2010 & 2011 held at ACU in Melbourne and now an event at Federation Square in 2012.

‘Music Moves’ – taking music to the world - where we will be bringing the joy of music to children in orphanages in Thailand in November, 2012. This is in collaboration with ‘Volunteer Holidays’. We are looking for volunteers to join us for 9-14 days. No music experience is necessary just a willingness to connect with other human beings through music. We will be raising money for instruments – percussion instruments, drums and ukuleles and taking them with us.

‘Hearts in Harmony’ schools music outreach program. This will involve students forging connections through music with students and people from other cultures, faiths and areas of society such as aged care. We are looking for pilot schools to take part.

‘Music Stage’ – inclusive music and theatre holiday programs and family camps for disadvantaged youth

PURPOSE

1.To build capacity in music – to help all people develop confidence, skills and knowledge in music

2.To build social capital – bringing communities together through music

3.To enhance health and well being through music

4.To build self esteem and confidence in a fun, engaging and non threatening environment- no experience or music background is necessary to participate in any of the programs

5.To assist those with disabilities, disadvantage, refugees, migrants, the unemployed, as well as members of the general public to unlock their creative potential and recognize each unique voice

6.To give pre-service teachers, and general class teachers an opportunity to experience how music and the creative arts can be successfully shared and implemented at a community level

7.To raise the profile of music education and community music in Australia

8.An opportunity to make a difference

For more info join our facebook page at

www.facebook.com/pages/Hearts-in-Harmony-Community-Music-Day/324438667608372

Click here to see a beautiful short video taken at our last community day in Sept, 2011 created by Zhang Wei, international Chinese student at ACU and ‘Hearts in Harmony’ choir member

http://blogs.acu.edu.au/international/9115/video-hearts-in-harmony-community-music-day/?a=470

Click here to see a thrilling photo montage of highlights from our Hearts in Harmony community day in Sept 2011 set to the song of the same name created by Janie Webb http://youtube/1bxuaZDj0oI

To volunteer, make a donation or get involved please contact Janie Webb at janie@welcometomusic.net or Susie Davies-Splitter at Susie@welcometomusic.net

Yes as amazing as it seems 'Rainbows Trees and Tambourines' and 'Bop in the Bath' are 20 years old this year! And it's worth noting that allowing for new recording technology, these songs have stood the test of time. 'Songs like 'Fuzzy the Clown', 'The Crazy Conductor', Rainbows, Trees and Tambourines', 'Let's Sing all Together', 'The Melbourne Train' and 'The Aussie Rock' are still as popular today as they were when they were first heard - on cassette tape back in '92! Of course since then Susie and Phil have written and recorded hundreds of songs with 'AlphabetZ' being their latest early childhood album, and they plan to continue writing recording and sharing their music for many years to come. Here's to the next twenty years of wonderful music making!

Our song 'Oscar the Octopus' from 'our album 'AlphabetZ' has been acknowledged by the 2011 International Songwriting competition.......

"We are pleased to inform you that the song "Oscar the Octopus", entered into the Children's Music category, has been selected as a semi-finalist in the 2011 International Songwriting Competition (ISC). With over 16,000 entries in ISC 2011, this is an incredible accomplishment, and we would like to sincerely congratulate you on this achievement!"

Welcome to Music provides original and exciting music education resources for teachers and students alike and we have activities and programs to make teaching music easy and fun. We cater to both early childhood music and primary music teachers and offer a range of professional development programs to suit your needs. Have a look through our range of products and services and please don't hesitate to contact us. Make sure you view our events calendar to see where and when there are some great music professional development events happening near you. And don't forget if you are looking to plan workshops or Artists in school programs or a conference or seminar or anything that we might be able to help with -please contact us.

Wow - can you believe that 2010 is done and dusted? It's amazing how quickly the weeks and months have flown by and we truly hope you have a wonderful healthy and musical 2011. There are already some great events planned for this year; simply click on the 'Events calendar' tab on the left hand side of this page to view our 2011 calendar. And don't forget if you are looking to plan workshops or Artists in school programs or a conference or seminar or anything that we might be able to help with -please contact us.

We've just come back from the International Society of Music Educators (ISME) conference in Beijing, China where we presented 2 workshops and met lots of wonderful new faces, as well as some familiar ones from previous conferences. So a very big 你好 (nǐhǎo) to all our new friends.Before that Susie spent 2 weeks teaching Orff level courses in Shenzen and Zhuhai and let's just say she was very happy to come home and have something other than chicken and rice! We are always so grateful to have the opportunity to travel to new places and meet new friends as we share our music all around the world and we are already practising our 'Kalimera' for the next ISME to be held in Thesoloniki, Greece in 2012. Maybe we'll see some of you there!

Yes, we have finally succumbed to the lure of modern technology and are
now the proud parents of our very own Facebook page. It's been a long time coming but we want to make sure we are reaching as many people as possible with the joy of music. With videos of workshops, pics, what's coming up and more it's worth a look. Also you can comment (but do be nice!) or send us stuff that you think might be worth sharing. We look forward to seeing you there.

To check us out, comment and become a 'Welcome to Music' fan, click here.

New compilation CD - 'Stop and Wait'

Using appropriate songs from our 'Welcome to Music' series and in conjunction with Mary Brake from Launceston, who wrote the wonderful text for 'Your Stage' we have produced a new early childhood resource called 'Stop and Wait!'.

STOP!!!

An understanding of ‘STOP’ is critical for the safety of all children.

As understanding grows and ‘STOP’ is practised, an automatic response can usually be developed to this command. Some children have difficulty comprehending that not all areas of their environment are safe, and an understanding of ‘STOP’ is critical for such children. Some children benefit from boundary training to build their awareness of where their ‘safe space’ is and where it ends. Where is the boundary between safe and unsafe? The boundary might for example run along the fence line at the end of the garden, or the school yard. Within such comprehensions is embedded an understanding of ‘STOP’.....click here to read more.

Click here to order

We have also just received our newest story book in the series 'The Tiny Caterpillar' from "Rainbows, Trees and Tambourines' which is another beautiflly illustrated book that young children will adore. Click here to view and/or order.

Welcome to our website and if this is your first visit please have a browse at our huge range of resources and services, all designed to make teaching music easy and fun. If you have visited before - welcome back!

Planning for the rest of 2011 and beyond?

We would love to be involved in your planning and programs so please keep us in mind when planning your events for the future. We can offer a range of great services including:

• Professional development 'PLAYshops'
• Preschool classes
• Music shows for preschool and primary
• Family concerts
• Choral days
• Community Drum circles - for students, families and teachers
• Artists in School programs - from one day to a whole term
• 'MusiKeynote' presentations for seminars and conferences on a variety of topics including the popular 'I'm not stressed - I always look like this!' great for openings and closings
• Composition of school songs .....
• And more .... please contact us for further information.

The latest news is that we have been awarded three top 10 places in this year's 'Australian Songwriter's Association' (ASA) awards!!

'Dinky Di Aussie' off 'Boomerang Jam' took 3rd place in the 'Australia section',

'Funkey Monkey' off the album Funkey Monkey has taken 3rd place in the 'Songs for children' section and

'Dare to be you' off 'Anything is Possible' has taken 10th place in the 'Folk/Acoustic' section. Click here to see all the results or click here to view a complete listing of the awards we have won in the last few years.

Also we have recently returned from our ‘Double up' tour of eastern Oz with the fabulous Lynn Kleiner from the USA.

For those of you fortunate enough to know of Lynn Kleiner (of 'Music Rhapsody' fame), those of you who attended one of our many PLAYshops would know what a wonderful presenter she is.Click here to read just one of the many wonderful tetimonials we have received. The year is rapdily drawing to a close but for up to date information on what's coming up see our full calendar for locations, dates, registration and information. And book early to take advantage of the great earlybird and group offers.