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In a previous post ‘The Songs Back Home’ Choirbook and CD were recommended as one of the top three resources for embedding Indigenous cultures in Music education.

 

In preparing to present at a workshop for the Western Australian Orff Schulwerk Association it is this resource that I have again turned to.  Because of this I thought it timely to demonstrate in greater detail the value of the resource.

 

Jessie Lloyd – The Leader Of The Project

Originally from the tropics of North Queensland, Jessie Lloyd is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musician. Jessie first became curious about the songs form the Aboriginal reserves or the mission days when she heard her Aunties singing an old tune from Palm Island, Queensland called ‘The Irex’. The Irex was the name of a boat that was used to transport the stolen generation children and those removed under the Aborigines Protection Act in the early to mid-20th century.

 

This curiosity prompted two years of researching and reviving old mission songs through consultation with senior Indigenous songmen and songwomen. Jessie travelled Australia visiting various communities and elders seeking their stories and advice about the music and life of the old days. Her being the recipient of the State Library of Victoria – Creative Fellowship Award 2016 and the National Library of Australia – Folk Fellowship Award 2017, provided valuable access and resources into researching the oral history.

What Were Missions?

Aboriginal missions were created by churches or religious individuals to house Aboriginal people and train them in Christian ideals and to also prepare them for work. Most of the missions were developed on land granted by the government for this purpose. Around ten missions were established in NSW between 1824 and 1923, although missionaries also visited some managed stations. Many Aboriginal people have adopted the term ‘mission’ or ‘mish’ to refer to reserve settlements and fringe camps generally.

https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/chresearch/ReserveStation.htm

What Were Reserves?

Aboriginal reserves were created as a political response to the dispossession of Aboriginal people from their land. … Aboriginal reserves:Aboriginal reserves were parcels of land set aside for Aboriginal people to live on; these were not managed by the government or its officials.

https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/chresearch/ReserveStation.htm

What Happened To The Aboriginal Missions and Reserves?

In the 1920s and ’30s, and again in the 1950s and ’60s, large numbers of reserves were closed or reduced in size by the APB and Aborigines Welfare Board (which replaced the APB). The occupants were moved onto a smaller number of large reserves and the land from the closed reserves was often sold.

 

In the 1920s and ’30s reserves were closed so that Aboriginal communities could be concentrated in fewer reserves and Aboriginal people could be ‘managed’ more easily and affordably. Creating reserves that were closer to towns meant that people and businesses in those towns could access Aboriginal labour, while ensuring that Aboriginal people would continue to live outside of town. In the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, under the Aborigines Welfare Board, the forced migration of Aboriginal people from unsupervised reserves onto stations closer to towns was part of the drive to assimilation, and was ultimately directed towards dispersing Aboriginal people into houses in country towns. At the same time it was about greater control over Aboriginal peoples’ lives.

Where possible, many Aboriginal people continued to live at sites after their reserve status had been revoked.

https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/chresearch/ReserveStation.htm

 

What Is The ‘Mission Songs Project’

The objective of the project was the researching and reviving of the old mission songs.  The outcomes of that project so far have been four-fold.

Firstly, there have been a series of national and international performances where the songs and their stories, as well as the stories behind the project have been told.

Secondly a CD called ‘The Songs Back Home’ of recordings of ten tracks from the mission days. It is available as a CD and as downloads from Itunes. The CD comes with a fold out information sheet which gives the lyrics and chords.  This is really helpful for teachers who would like to create arrangements for different tuned percussion instruments, ukuleles, guitars or band instruments.

Thirdly a Choir Songbook has been published and available to purchase.  It contains background to each of the songs from the CD ‘The Songs Back Home’ as well as the standard music notation in four part, SATB for each.  This notation increases the value of the resource to classroom music teachers.  It enables teachers to easily adapt the material for lessons and to arrange for the particular instruments and skill level of students in individual education contexts.

The songs in the CD and the Songbook are so rich.  Aside from the four part harmony arrangements, which are too advanced for my primary school context, the background stories supporting the songs also convey important information about these pieces that our students need to hear. This supports a more comprehensive learning above the otherwise untold history of this country.

Fourthly, there are some Youtube clips that are useful resources.  One clip is of four singers on the road, rehearsing in the car on the way to the next performance.  This in itself is a great example of the working life of contemporary Australian musicians. Another clip is of Jessie making a family recipe of damper in her kitchen to the audio of the track ‘Down In The Kitchen’. Another is the deeply poignant ‘The Irex’ which scrolls through the lists of families and persons who were transported on the vessel to Palm Island, many never to return to the mainland.

The stories surrounding the songs are important, especially in this NAIDOC year of ‘Voice Treaty and Truth’.  These songs give voice to Aboriginal stories from the mission days and the era of the ‘stolen generations’.  They speak a truth that has been too unpalatable to be discussed in society at large.  It is time these truths are no longer hidden.  These songs will illuminate historical facts.

 

A review of ‘The Songs Back Home’ by Muriel Swijghuisen Reigersberg reports that Jessie Lloyd has hinted that Mission Songs Project has three or four albums yet to come.  Follow the Mission Songs Project website to watch for these developments.

‘The Songs Back Home’ CD and Choir Songbook are available from the Mission Songs Project website store and the CD tracks are available through download on Itunes. http://missionsongsproject.com/. This is also a the place to watch for performances of the Mission Songs Project as they occur around the country and the world.

 

Early Childhood to Year 2 Activities

Down In The Kitchen

• Teach song.
• Whilst rest of children singing the song, one child or an adult could role play cooking using toy food and kitchen equipment.
• The others watch and guess what meal or snack they are preparing.
• Repeat with different meals or snacks created by children.
• Make ‘Jessie’s’ Coconut Damper – as per Youtube clip

 

Middle Primary to Lower Secondary Activities

‘The Irex’

• Teach lead part of song.
• In groups lyrics create a small spoken performance of the lyrics with ocean/sailing ship soundscape accompaniment. Play with rhythm, dynamics, tempo for dramatic effect.
• Teach soprano part. Combine vocal sections.
• Perform as a rondo with two part song as the A sections and group performances as the other sections.

Upper Primary to Lower Secondary

• Notate soundscape or The Irex melody
• View Mission Songs Project Youtube clip
• Discuss how the presented imagery of the clip has changed perceptions or understandings of the song.  Compare the clip to other music video clips.

 

Vocal Activities

• Pick a song from the songbook and perform in unison, two part, three part, four part or five.
• Record and send to Mission Songs Project – they would love to see how their work is being interpreted – contact form is available on the website http://missionsongsproject.com/
• Have students write a journal entry or series of entries about their feelings on performing the piece – written, visual or video

 

Instrumental Activities

• Pick a song from the CD and transpose into a favoured key for your schools instruments. Have students learn and perform in unison, two part, three part, four part or five.
• Record and send to Mission Songs Project – they would love to see how their work is being interpreted – contact form is available on the website http://missionsongsproject.com/
• Have students write a journal entry or series of entries about their feelings on performing the piece – written, visual or video
• Use one of the pieces as a warm up or sight reading activity

 

References:

http://musictrust.com.au/loudmouth/the-songs-back-home-the-mission-songs-project/   Review of the album by Muriel Swijghuisen Reigersberg

https://missionsongsproject.com/about/

https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/nswcultureheritage/Missions.htm

Videos

The Irex and Removals List QLD 1922  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBU9rTIH1B0

Down In The Kitchen and Making Coconut Damper  https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1534936106807517

Rehearsing Via Road-trip To Next Venue  https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1658213844479742

 

 

‘From Little Things Big Things Grow’
Vincent Lingiari – Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody

WARNING: Visitors should be aware that this website includes images and names of deceased people that may cause sadness or distress to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

This weekend is a Labour Day weekend holiday in Western Australia. With this in mind an important Australian musical story came to mind. A story that began with a labour dispute on a cattle station in the Northern Territory.

Over years the issue developed into one of land rights, sovereignty and the triumph of the small battler over the bully, privileged and rich. This story inspired a song born during a campfire at a camping trip taken by Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody.
The song has gone on to become an anthem and so important it has inspired many musicians to perform their own versions, artists to create works and museums to create exhibitions.
This is such a big song. It is the story it presents that is overwhelming important and long. The gentle way the music is used doesn’t cloud the messages of the story.
The song and its story is held together by repetition of the chorus. That chorus keeps us waiting. While we wait, we wonder how will this story end? Even though we know how it ends, its still triumph every time we hear it.
The Get Up Mob, a performers coordinated by the ‘Get Up’ advocacy group, reworked the song after the apology by Kevin Rudd to the Stolen Generations in 2008. It is an interesting take and interesting to compare to the original. Performers in the ‘Get Up Mob’ included Kev Carmody and Paul Kelly, Urthboy (Tim Levinson), Missy Higgins, Mia Dyson, Radical Son, Jane Tyrrell, Dan Sultan, Joel Wenitong and Ozi Batla. The video clip featured elements of the apology to the Stolen Generations, made by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on 13 February 2008, as well as former Prime Minister Paul Keating’s Redfern Speech on 10 December 1992 John Butler, Leah Purcell, Pat Dodsonand Anthony Mundine.

Song Background
Kev Carmody and Paul Kelly were on a camping trip when they came up with the tune around the campfire. Kelly had the lilting chord progression, while Carmody had the idea of telling the little-heard story of the Gurindji strike: an event that seemed curious at the time, but was to blossom into the land rights movement.
Indigenous communities had provided a cheap – often free – source of labour for cattlemen in the Northern Territory since the 1800s. It was widely known that the Indigenous workers were forced to eke out an existence under squalid conditions, but for the most part the country turned a blind eye.
That changed at the Wave Hill cattle station in August 1966 when Vincent Lingiari announced that the Gurindji people – traditional owners of the land – were going on strike. The entire community walked off the station and at first it was assumed that this was a fight over working conditions. Eventually management offered them a pay rise, only to discover that the group weren’t striking for fairer treatment. They wanted their land back.
During this period Lingiari and fellow spokesman Billy Bunter Jampijinpatoured the eastern states. Public interest in the case took hold, and it fed into the enthusiasm for the 1967 constitutional alteration giving the federal government power to make laws concerning Indigenous Australians, which until that point had been a state responsibility.
The 1972 election of the Whitlam government brought land rights to the national political stage, and a portion of the Wave Hill land was returned to the Gurindji people in a ceremony between the PM and Lingiari on August 16, 1975 (“And through Vincent’s fingers poured a handful of sand”), with the Aboriginal Land Rights Act becoming law the following year.
Andrew P Street article from The Guardian
www.theguardian.com/music/australia-culture-blog/2014/feb/04/australian-anthems-paul-kelly-and-the-messengers-from-little-things-big-things-grow

Song Lyrics
From Little Things Big Things Grow
by Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody

Gather round people I’ll tell you a story
An eight year long story of power and pride
’Bout British Lord Vestey and Vincent Lingiarri
They were opposite men on opposite sides

Vestey was fat with money and muscle
Beef was his business, broad was his door
Vincent was lean and spoke very little
He had no bank balance, hard dirt was his floor

From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow

Gurindji were working for nothing but rations
Where once they had gathered the wealth of the land
Daily the oppression got tighter and tighter
Gurindji decided they must make a stand

They picked up their swags and started off walking
At Wattie Creek they sat themselves down
Now it don’t sound like much but it sure got tongues talking
Back at the homestead and then in the town

From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow

Vestey man said I’ll double your wages
Seven quid a week you’ll have in your hand
Vincent said uhuh we’re not talking about wages
We’re sitting right here till we get our land

Vestey man roared and Vestey man thundered
You don’t stand the chance of a cinder in snow
Vince said if we fall others are rising

From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow

Then Vincent Lingiarri boarded an aeroplane
Landed in Sydney, big city of lights
And daily he went round softly speaking his story
To all kinds of men from all walks of life

And Vincent sat down with big politicians
This affair they told him is a matter of state
Let us sort it out, your people are hungry
Vincent said no thanks, we know how to wait

From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow

Then Vincent Lingiarri returned in an aeroplane
Back to his country once more to sit down
And he told his people let the stars keep on turning
We have friends in the south, in the cities and towns

Eight years went by, eight long years of waiting
Till one day a tall stranger appeared in the land
And he came with lawyers and he came with great ceremony
And through Vincent’s fingers poured a handful of sand

From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow

That was the story of Vincent Lingiarri
But this is the story of something much more
How power and privilege can not move a people
Who know where they stand and stand in the law

From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow

Copyright: Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody www.nma.gov.au/learn/classroom-resources/from-little-things-big-things-grow

ACTIVITIES
K-2
• Explain the background to Vincent Lingiari and the Gurindji walk off as described above. Sing ‘From Little Things Big Things Grow’ to children.
• Have children join in with the chorus.
• Class discussion around the importance of the story and the role the song played in societal awareness.
• Play a couple of different versions and have the children respond to the song with illustrations.

2-6
• Complete the activities as in K-2
• Inspired by Zillmere State School video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJxw2zgzLUs have students write and record their own class/school version of the song
• Explore ascending and descending skip and leaps in the chorus of the song. Students play the chorus, describe where the skips and leaps are occurring, then where ascending and descending.
• Discuss the role the triple meter plays. Try singing it (or playing) in duple.
• Rhythmic notation activity in correctly arranging the passages to match the chorus of ‘From Little Things Big Things Grow’. (A copy of this worksheet is below)

7-12
• Complete the activities as in K-2
• Discussion of Kelly and Carmody’s invocation of the medieval musical bard or minstrel telling stories in a time where musical storytelling was the news. Does this strategy work? Is it condescending? Why/not?
• Role of musical repetition – music does not detract from the story.
• Choose another Australian story that could be told in such a way. Write and perform two verses and a chorus. Some suggestions are below:
Ned Kelly – outlaw
Lawrence Hargraves – aviator
Charles Perkins – first Aboriginal politician
Edith Cowan – first female politician
Snowy River Scheme
Batavia
C Y O’Connor – WA Engineer who was credited with the worlds longest water pipeline between Perth and Kalgoorlie.

Vocal
• Allocate a verse for an individual student to work with an ensemble. The other members of the ensemble are responsible for their own verses.
• All to come together for the chorus.
• Determine harmonies for the chorus.
• Focus – strategies and skills on conveying to the audience that all working together as a musical group when singing and when not singing.

Instrumental
• Student to choose a verse to play. Focus is on expressing the intention and story of lyrics – focus on expression – light and shade – emphasis and fade out, ebb and flow, staccato and legato
or
• Own improvisation over the chord progression of the chorus for a new middle eight section
or
• Improvise with the melody of the chorus

Additional Background Information and References
Biography of Vincent Lingiari www.ia.anu.edu.au/biography/lingiari-vincent-14178
Classroom activities www.nma.gov.au/learn/classroom-resources/from-little-things-big-things-grow
Importance of the song www.nfsa.gov.au/latest/from-little-things-25-years
Inspiration of the song www.aso.gov.au/titles/music/from-little-things-big-things/notes/
Classroom activities www.narragunnawali.org.au
Get Up Mob reworking of the song
http://top40-charts.com/songs/lyrics.php?sid=23363&onlylyrics=1
www.revolvy.com/page/From-Little-Things-Big-Things-Grow
www.theguardian.com/music/australia-culture-blog/2014/feb/04/australian-anthems-paul-kelly-and-the-messengers-from-little-things-big-things-grow

Different Recordings and Performances
Paul Kelly Video Clip www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_ndC07C2qw
Kev Carmody and Mark Aitkins on didjeridoo www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqFXjk98l6w
John Butler, Missy Higgins and Dan Sultan www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbaQ6hI0Elk
Sarah Storer and Archie Roach www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hGeDj-V1c0
Get Up Mob Revision of song www.theloop.com.au/project/bangbang/portfolio/from-little-things-big-things-grow-by-the-getup-mob-music-video-large-collaborative-project/18879
Zillmere State School https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJxw2zgzLUs

Get Up Mob Lyrics
As Prime Minister of Australia, I am sorry.
On behalf of the Government of Australia, I am sorry.
On behalf of the Parliament of Australia, I am sorry.
And I offer you this apology without qualification.

To say sorry means to give respect
It’s long overdue
Now you failed to imagine
What if it happened to you

Now they’re not only words now it’s not just a symbol
Accepting the past, well it’s not always simple
When thinking of yesterday
We live for tomorrow
We can’t face the future now
Till we face the sorrow

Now under the colours, yeah
Of red, yellow, black
We say ‘Never again’
We say ‘No turning back’

From little things, big things grow
From little things, big things grow
From little things, big things grow
From little things, big things grow

Lighting up the path
With good in our heart
See the more that you look
The better for all
So he sang as he walked
And together we stand
For we’re sure to stand tall
We must all play our part
[Rudd: ‘indigenous and non indigenous’]
Tears within our brow[?]
Yes forward we struggle and all we’ve achieved
Will be nothing if greed was the only motivation of man
So we can love one another, and with respect for each other
Then we move forward [‘reconciled’] together

From little things, big things grow
From little things, big things grow
From little things, big things grow
From little things, big things grow

Where hope and history rhyme
And now’s one of those times
Let’s close the gap and if we truly mean it
we can stare down our future and find
we can see through those eyes
And let us not stand with those who deny

It seems to me that if we can imagine the injustice
We can imagine the opposite
And we can have justice

From little things, big things grow
From little things, big things grow
From little things, big things grow
From little things, big things grow

[rpt]

All of us are one, because we are human
And if I cut you, you cut me, what comes out?
red blood, not different colour blood, only red blood. Yes.
http://top40-charts.com/songs/lyrics.php?sid=23363&onlylyrics=1

 

 

Let’s Paint Cultural Unity This ANZAC Day

This is the second post in the ANZAC Day activities series. The last post explored ANZAC Day activities based around the picture book “Alfred’s War”.

This post has some different ANZAC Day ideas derived from song by a duo from northern Queensland released in 2017 called “Paint This Land”.  The duo are Busby Marou and they are hot property in the current Australian indie music scene.

BUSBY MAROU – WHO ARE THEY?

Tom Busby and Jeremy Marou are the duo and they came together musicially in their home town of Rockhampton. Jeremy is of Torres Strait Islander heritage, and both performers come from musical families. With similar musical interests, the two combined to perform and write music.

Much of their music highlights the Torres Strait Island culture of the importance of country, the environment, relationships and respect.

 

The Australian newspaper in reviewing their first album described the overwhelming feeling that emanates from BUSBY MAROU as “joy”. The Australian went on to say the “voices and close harmonies are as clear as Queensland sunshine, and the acoustic guitar playing of both men is both accomplished and expressive”.  I agree.

 

Busby Marou have been around since 2009 when they won a “’Breakthrough’ grant.  This Federal Government initiative supported the emerging indigenous contemporary musicians.  The award assisted in the production of the band’s debut album.

 

They have since been signed by Warner and released two more albums. These albums have seen them nominated five times for Australasia Performing Rights (APRA) awards for Blues and Roots ‘Work of the Year’. These awards recognise song-writing skills, sales and air-play performance.  Busby Marou has won twice, one in 2012 for ‘Biding My Time’ and then in 2018 ‘Best Of Me’.

 

‘PAINT THIS LAND’ SONG

This information comes from https://musicfeeds.com.au/tv/busby-marou-paint-land/

Australian duo Busby Marou have unveiled the official video for their track ‘Paint This Land’, a clip that acknowledges the role Indigenous soldiers have played, and continue to play, in Australia’s Defence Force.

The clip features actor Tony Barry and director Wayne Blair’s father, Bob Blair, a Vietnam War veteran and the first Aboriginal Regimental Sergeant Major in Australia. The video also features the mural artwork of Sydney street artist Hego, who will soon launch a documentary on black Anzacs. His contribution to this clip is the first time he’s created a mural that features both an Indigenous & a non-Indigenous soldier together.

By focussing on themes of solidarity, reconciliation and hope, Busby Marou hope to pay homage to the past and look forward with a united and respectful vision.

“‘Paint This Land’ is our song about the Australian spirit,” says Busby Marou’s Tom Busby. “It’s everywhere, it’s beautiful and it’s alive! The song acknowledges our powerful indigenous culture and celebrates our future. Working with Wayne Blair and watching the song and its message come to life through the power of film is without a doubt, our finest moment as a band.” huge privilege to work alongside Wayne, Jeremy, Thomas and the formidable cast and crew.

Read more at https://musicfeeds.com.au/tv/busby-marou-paint-land/#DK4qKZuHhU3DeBCq.99

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES

K to 3

• Watch the video clip and discuss what the song and the video are about?
• Students to explore the song through movement. As a class decide on movements for the chorus

“Arms above
Together we are one
With our hearts in our hands
You and I will paint this land
From the red desert beat
To the city streets
Where the ocean meets the sand
You and I will paint this land”

• The students could have free movement choices for the remainder of the song.
• After the movement activities discuss with students, rhythm, pitch, dynamics, timbre, texture or what element of music you need to focus on at the time.
• Repeat the movement activity again to reinforce teaching concept.
• I would use coloured scarves or streamers for this activity. The colours would help bring the lyrics of the song to life and add to the creative experience for the children.

Year 4-6

• Watch the video clip and discuss what the video and the song are about
• Echo teach the lyrics and melody of the chorus (see above in K-3 section)
• Use the Orff Schulwerk mantra of ‘sing say move then play’. Teach some speech patterns to solidify rhythmic patterns vocally. Transfer the speech patterns to body percussion and then percussive instruments.
• Students form small groups, sing the chorus and design and perform their own accompaniment arrangement. Allow students to choose from a range of percussion instruments so they can explore different timbres and textures. The aim is for them to produce their best accompaniment to share with the rest of the class.
• Have students notate the rhythms using standard notation.

Rhythmic Accompaniment Suggestions 

                        Paint this land (x2)                               ta ta ta za

                        From our hearts to our hands  (x2)     tete ta tete ta

                        From the ocean to the sea                  za za za tete tete tete ta

                       

Choir

• Sing the song along with the duo as a warm up.
• Perform the song with the video as part of your ANZAC Day services.

 

Instrumental and Secondary

• Watch the video and have students respond to the musical elements and as a cultural statement
• There are chords available for the song on Chordify which would be useful for students learning to accompany the piece as part of their individual or group lesson on their instrument of choice.
• Students could develop their aural skills by encouraging them to accurately play the melody of the verse, chorus or bridge, or all three, for next week.
• If developing expression is a key part of your instruction, have them work on different dynamics, articulation or tempo to tell different ‘stories’ of ‘Paint This Land’.
• Create their own accompaniment on garage band or similar

ANZAC Day Inspirations

It’s never too early in the Australian school year for Music teachers to begin to think about ANZAC Day.  It is an important and formal event and usually one of the first showcases of the choir or music program in the annual school calendar.

From opposite sides of the country here are a couple of ideas for including with our First Nations cultures. One is utilizing a beautiful picture book written by a Broome local, first published in 2018. This will be discussed in the post.  The second is a song by a duo from northern Queensland released in 2017.  That will be explored in the next post.

ALFRED’S WAR

The beautiful book “Alfred’s War” written by Rachel Bin Salleh and illustrated by Samantha Fry is the inspiration for the attached songlet and song. Rachel Bin Salleh is descended from the Nimunburr, Bunuba and Yawuru peoples of the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Having worked in publishing for over 20 years, Rachel is the publisher for Magabala Books and is passionate about Indigenous people telling their stories. She lives in Broome with her family.  Her dedication to ensure Aboriginal voices are part of Australian story telling are inspiring.  In the book, the character “Alfred” is a metaphor for all Indigenous men and women who have served in the various armed forces and supporting roles. We should honour them.  We should honour the sacrifice of all those who serve their country.   I would like to thank Rachel for her endorsement of the activities below.

K to 2

1. Read the book aloud to students with an instrumental backdrop such as “The Mission” by Angèle Dubeau . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4yQWIWQq8A Play the music another couple of times and have students draw or write a response to the book.
2. After a couple of pages are read aloud students sing a refrain. An example are the lyrics below which could be sung to the melody of The Last Post. It could be a performance piece for an ANZAC service.

“Thank you.                     Thank you.         To all    fo-r   you-r      ser—vice”

 

Year 3 -12

Read the picture book and teach the song “Alfred Stepped Out Of The Shadows” below.

As a classroom activity or a performance, the teacher or some students could read a passage of the book followed by remainder of the class, or school choir, singing the “Alfred Stepped…” song as a refrain, thus working through the remainder of the book. Perhaps some of the illustrations of the book and/or art work responses by students could be projected whilst the book is being read/sung/performed.

Year 7-12

After reading the story to students they could make their own arrangements or compositions as inspired by the book in different genres or styles.

Top Three Resources For Music Teachers

There have been three resources recommended for introducing First Nations culture in the last couple of years. These “top three” resources for voices words and languages have been published for use in classrooms.

These three resources provide songs about Australia’s First Nations cultures, by Australia’s First Nations peoples. They give Australia’s First Nations peoples a voice and tell their truths through music.

The start of the year can be the time to decide on your budgetary spending. Now is the time to invest in a cross curricular resource of Aboriginal Culture and History. For less than $200 teachers can have years worth of wonderful repertoire to present to classes for a wide range of uses.

Over the next few weeks, this blog will feature activities for each of these resources, focussing on early childhood, primary, lower secondary, choral and instrumental teaching areas.  Until then, why not have a splash and then a plunge into new musical worlds.

Madjitil Moorna ‘Aboriginal Songs’

Western Australian based resource

The 18 Songs in the book (includes CD) range in difficulty. They are suitable for different situations and ages. Many incorporate Noongar language of SW Australia. Schools are loving this book as there are so few resources of this kind available. The positive effect on kids as they sing these songs at school (and take them home) is remarkable. Orders can be taken online by emailing either personally or for your school. The contact is accounts@madjitilmoorna.org.au ABN: 40924279346. The books (with CD) are $50.

Purchase of the book entitles access to the ‘public resources & extras’ on the Home page of the Madjitil Moorna website.

Resources available include backing tracks and scores. https://www.madjitilmoorna.org.au/

Disclosure – I am an active member of the Madjitil Moorna choir. For my music program I utilise this resource every week for classroom music and choirs.

 

Short Black Opera Companys’ ‘Dhungala Choral Connection Song Book’

Australia-wide resource

This beautiful collection of songs, in unison and two part, features the experiences and languages of Aboriginal Children from around Australia. From Shepparton to Gunnedah, Grafton to Geelong from Portland to Broken Hill, Benalla to Bermagui and Dandenong, to Karijini National Park. Written and composed by Deborah Cheetham and Jessica Hitchcock through the Short Black Opera for Kids program this valuable resource will reveal the beauty and complexity of Aboriginal languages through the powerful medium of song.

This resource is particularly wonderful for music teachers with choirs.  The accompanying CD is invaluable with providing pronunciation of the lyrics and a live recording of the songs as performed in concert.  The accompanying commissioned art work in the book is mesmerizing. This can be purchased online for $60 through the website https://shortblackopera.org.au/product/dhungala-choral-connection-song-book/.

 

The Mission Songs Project ‘The Songs Back Home Choir Songbook SATB’

Eastern States based resource

This resource presents songs collected as part of the Mission Songs Project collection featuring songs for choirs and vocal groups. Jessie Lloyd’s profoundly moving and important Mission Songs Project reveals what daily life was like for Indigenous Australians on Christian missions and state-run settlements. Through the discovery of rare secular songs that were sung after church, audiences can gain a deeper understanding about the history of elders, families and communities, from cultural identity to love and loss.  This songbook and CD can be purchased for $30 each from the website. http://missionsongsproject.com/shop/

As an extension to this check out the 2018 movie ‘The Song Keepers’, the telling of a group of central Australians reviving the songs of the Lutheran mission era and their performance tour of Germany.  Purchasing this video would be great for secondary teachers.  An accompanying resource for the film is set to be released soon. The DVD can be purchased on line for less than $30.

 

TROY Cassar-Daley is the reigning king of Australian country music after taking home four Golden Guitars in Tamworth tonight.

The father of two took home the most gongs at the 41st annual Country Music Awards of Australia, including Album of the Year and Male Artist of the Year for his eighth studio album Home.

Cassar-Daley was born in the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills to a Maltese-Australian father and an Aboriginal mother.

At a very young age, he moved with his mother to Grafton in north-eastern New South Wales.

At eleven, Troy went to the Tamworth Country Music Festival and returned the next year to busk on the streets.

He went on to join different bands until he released his first single “Dream Out Loud” was released on 24 October 1994 by Sony Music. It reached number-one on the Australian country music charts and won the 1995 ARIA award for the best country album.

Troy has been touring and releasing albums and is well respected by his colleagues and adored by millions of fans in Australia and internationally.

Troy Cassar-Daly is appropriate to use in Australian music classrooms because he is a current successful working musician. His music resonates with a national and international audience, and has done so for decades.

He was caught up in a change in the direction of country music in this country with concern expressed by fellow Australian country singer songwriter, John Williamson who resigned as president of the Country Music Association of Australia in 2013. At the time Williamson expressed disappointment over the direction of Australian country music which seemed artists like Troy Cassar-Daley, Adam Harvey and Keith Urban, were more American than Australian.

The song I have chosen to explore is Dream Out Loud.  It’s a favourite.  It is so positive about Australian society.

 

ACTIVITIES

Early Childhood

Troy has recorded a great version of the American folk song “Old Dan Tucker” with The Wiggles.  This would be fabulous for K to 2 for children to sing along to and perform actions whilst working towards developing their inner hearing, a feeling for beat, and singing skills.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfW62Om4Jbw

You Make Me Feel Like Dancing is the twenty-ninth Wiggles DVD by The Wiggles, released on June 5, 2008

 

Year 1-3

• Listen to “Dream Out Loud”
• Write a verse using the ideas of the class. (e.g. Doctor and a nurse, truck driver and a chef, internet game producer,A big music star, or an actor, a mum or a dad or carpenter)
• Send to Troy Cassar Daley.

 

Year 4 – 6

• Listen to a recording of the song “Dream Out Loud” with your students. Have them aurally identify the instruments used.
• The inclusion of didjeridoo. Is it still country?
• What is the story of the song?
• How does the song use texture to help tell the story?

 

Year 8-12

• Listen to “Dream Out Loud”. Have them aurally identify the instruments used.
• Explore the musical elements of the song.
• Australian or American?
• Does it matter?
• Choose instruments and play an American arrangement of the chorus or an Australian arrangement of the chorus (or any other style of music studying).

There’s Two people in a room, one black and one white,
Now who’s to say, who’s wrong or who’s right,
Both standing tall, both standing proud,
Both too afraid, to dream out loud,

Now one grew up in the town, and one outside,
Both fighting feelings, they’d much rather hide,
Years bring them closer, and lord knows how,
Their not too afraid to dream out loud,

Dream out loud, it’s up to me and you,
To dream out loud, it’s not hard to do,
So if you see your brother, falling in the crowd,
Don’t be afraid to dream out loud
Dream Out Loud lyrics © Mushroom Music Pty Ltd, EMI MUSIC PUBLISHING AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

 

Secondary.

• Watch video about the making of “Home” video. youtube.com/watch?v=EONQ8GdsVps
• Ask students to make notes about what this documentary tells them about the production side of a being a recording artist

 

References :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Cassar-Daley

https://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/news/troy-cassar-daley-rules-golden-guitars/1732824/#/0

https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/troy-cassardaley-adam-harvey-out-of-golden-guitar-awards-over-john-williamson-row-20131213-2zba7.htm

Baker Boy Reaches Triple J Hot 100 Two Years In A Row

Baker Boy is hot property in the contemporary Australian music scene.

He was awarded 2019 Young Australian of the Year on January 25, 2019 in

Canberra by Prime Minister, Scott Morrison.

More importantly for our students he has had his coolness reaffirmed by reaching the Triple J Hottest 100 two years in a row.  This year the song was “Mr La Di Da Di” and came in a number 51. It was the only non-English track in the list for 2019. https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/news/musicnews/triple-j-hottest-100-2018-countdown-by-the-numbers-stats-facts/10746010

As Music teachers we can use his currency to facilitate cultural awareness of Aboriginal musicians in our classes.

Here is some information about Baker Boy and some activities you could try with different classes.

 

Mr La Di Da Di by Baker Boy

Year Group : Kindy to Year 3

Aim : Feeling The Beat

Resources : Play Mr La Di Da Di Live on Set JJJ on Screen (I turn the lights off to create atmosphere) https://www.facebook.com/triplej/videos/baker-boy-mr-la-di-da-di-live-on-the-set/332919797511328/

Activity : Musical Statues – Freeze like something you can see on the screen when the music stops.  Aim is to be most attentive with what you see and creative in representing the visual using your body.

 

Year Group : Year 3 – 6

Aim : Represent the different between the beat and the rhythm

Resources : Play Mr La Di Da Di Live on Set JJJ on Screen (I turn the lights off to create atmosphere) https://www.facebook.com/triplej/videos/baker-boy-mr-la-di-da-di-live-on-the-set/332919797511328/

Activity : Randomly move around the room on the beat up to the end of the Chorus. Pause track. Teacher sing chorus line by line use body percussion to represent the rhythm. Students to copy.

 

Year 7 to 12

Aim: Write and perform a rap about Baker Boys rise to prominence in the Australian Music scene.

Resources: ipads or laptop devices. Baker Boy Information from the Australia Day Council Website.

Activity : Write and perform a rap verse about Baker Boys rise to prominence in the Australian music scene. Either perform and record over an existing backing track. Alternatively students to create their own backing music.

 

Background Information

Here is some background information about Danzal Baker from the Australian Of The Year Awards website.

2019 Young Australian of the Year

Mr Danzal Baker

State: Northern Territory

Working across rap, dance, acting and graffiti, Danzal Baker is a multi-talented, multi-lingual, Indigenous artist. He achieved mainstream success rapping in the Yolngu Matha language, coming 17th in Triple J’s Hottest 100 2017. He uses his talent to inspire Indigenous youth to embrace their culture and take up leadership positions.

Working across rap, dance, acting and graffiti, Danzal Baker is a multi-talented, multi-lingual, Indigenous artist. Danzal, otherwise known as Baker Boy, is the first Indigenous artist to achieve mainstream success rapping in the Yolngu Matha language.

Raised in Milingimbi and Maningrida, Danzal rapped his way to national prominence when his single Marryuna was voted into 17th place in Triple J’s Hottest 100 for 2017; a notable follow-up from his debut single Cloud 9, which won Triple J’s Unearthed competition.

Danzal is also an award winner at the National Indigenous Music Awards. He has signed a record deal with Select Music and was handpicked by English rapper Dizzee Rascal to be his Australian support act. In 2018, Danzal won the prestigious Charles Darwin University Art Award at the Northern Territory Young Achievers Awards.

Touring Australia extensively, Danzal is using his talent to inspire young people in remote Indigenous communities and encourage them to embrace their culture and take up leadership positions.

https://www.australianoftheyear.org.au/2019-award-recipients/

Here is a follow up to the post last week, January 15, on the first strings orchestra in Australia.  AUSTA President, Helen Tuckey, shared this information about the hidden hero of the music program at the Derby leprosarium, Sister Camille Poidevin. 

 

Here is an obituary written by one of her nephews.  It was published in the Sydney Morning Herald Feb 13 2013.

 

A life of music and faith

Camille Poidevin joined the Sisters of St John of God order in 1950 at Subiaco, Perth, when she was training as a nurse. She worked in hospitals in NSW and Perth before moving to the Kimberley in 1954, beginning a 56-year devotion to one of Australia’s most beautiful regions.

After leaving her nursing positions, she taught classical music to hundreds of children in Derby and Broome, giving them an opportunity to attain a skill that would give them immense pride in their lives.

Camille Bernadette Poidevin was born in Goulburn on July 8, 1925, the fourth child of Ernest Poidevin and his wife, Ada (nee Barden), a devout, Catholic farming family. She was always musical and after finishing at Our Lady of Mercy College, Goulburn, went to Sydney to earn a music and performers licentiate in 1947.

Camille had become familiar with the St John of God sisters in Goulburn because the order had a hospital there that treated her father’s Parkinson’s disease. When she decided to join the order, she entered its novitiate, which was based in Perth, and became Sister Dolorosa.

After being transferred to the Kimberley, she started work in the Derby Native Hospital as a general and midwifery sister, then was invited to work in the leprosarium, which was a place of quarantine for what was then the incurable disease known as leprosy. However, after studying in the US for three months in 1969, Sister Camille preferred to call the condition by its modern name, Hansen’s disease.

Along with her medical work there, Sister Camille made use of her musical training. In the 1940s, Mother Alphonsus, realising the importance of music therapy in rehabilitation, had formed a patients’ orchestra. The fact that these patients were unable to read music and most had serious hand deformities did not stand in their way and for many years, the orchestra performed classical concerts for patients, staff, visiting officials and dignitaries. Sister Camille was delighted to help with the program and was also matron of the facility from 1970 to 1974.

In 1986, the Derby leprosarium closed as medical advances in the treatment of Hansen’s disease and the introduction of multi-drug therapy made patients non-infectious and isolation was no longer necessary.

In 1984, Sister Camille had returned to Sydney to take a music teacher’s diploma. Returning to Derby in 1986, she taught music until she retired in 2007. She created many stars but her greatest source of pride was Brendan Backhouse, a piano student who went on to become Australia’s first indigenous conductor.

When Brendan was nine years old, he came home and told his mother that Sister Camille was teaching some of his friends music at school and asked if she could teach him the violin.

When Sister Camille met Brendan and his mother she immediately said Brendan had the perfect hands for a piano player and she would teach him piano, not violin.

In his teens, Brendan sat his music exam in Perth with Sister Camille by his side, and graduated in pianoforte with a ”class A” with honours.

Sister Camille received the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal for community health service in 1977 and, in 1999, an Order of Australia Medal, which she accepted on behalf of her congregation.

In the St John of God Villa in Subiaco, where Sister Camille spent the last two years of her life, is a quotation: ”John of God led a simple life. He never set out to achieve great things. He was simply faithful to the mission of caring for the sick and marginalised. We are called to stay faithful to that mission.”

Sister Camille achieved those virtues in spades and she has been buried in Broome.

Camille Poidevin is survived by her sister-in-law Ann, nephews Andrew and Simon, nieces Jane, Joanne, Lucy and Louise and many great-nieces and nephews and cousins.

Simon Poidevin

Response To Dawn Mantras Post From Ross Edwards

I thought you might be interested to learn that I messaged Ross Edwards my post information (January 1).  He responded!!! Yay.

Here is the information sent through.

 

Dawn Mantras from the topmost of the building’s famous sails, accompanied by mixed choirs and a culturally diverse instrumental ensemble. The text was sourced from Latin, as well as living languages of Australia, South East Australia and the Pacific. The composer has recently devised a new range of performance possibilities for this iconic work and the material is now available for hire from Hal Leonard Australia. The original performers included: Elena Baroni, child soprano, Riley Lee, shakuhachi, Matthew Doyle, didjeridu, The Sydney Children’s Choir conducted by Lyn Williams and The Sydney Chamber Choir conducted by Nicholas Routley. [NB, there were no dancers in this performance, although choreographed versions were to follow].

 

Glossary of the text: Aurora (Latin) dawn Spiritus sancti adsit nobis gratia (Latin) May the Grace of the Holy Spirit be with us Dihlbi-dihlbi (Bundjalung language of N.E. New South Wales) dawn Heiwa (Japanese) peace Ake gure (Japanese) dawn Penyembuhan (Indonesian) healing Subuh (Indonesian) dawn Utuh (Indonesian) whole Ross Edwards writes: When I composed Dawn Mantras, I designed it to be pre-recorded in a studio and mimed for live television performance. I hadn’t intended to release the score, nor had I anticipated the world-wide interest in the music which followed the telecast. In response (1999) Ross Edwards composed Dawn Mantras especially for the Dawn Performance which was telecast to the world at the dawn of the new millennium from the Sydney Opera House. This work, which captivated an audience of billions, expresses hope for peace and renewal. A sequence of unforgettable images culminated in a young girl singing solo to an increasing demand that the work be made available for live concert performance, accompaniment to dance, school speech days, large-scale ceremonial events associated with visits by spiritual leaders such as the Pope and the Dalai Lama, I’ve devised a format which I hope will facilitate performance and expand the range of possibilities. In the original recording, two shakuhachis (Japanese bamboo flutes) were used to cover a range extending from G below middle C to C above the treble stave. Although the sound of the shakuhachi is desirable, either an alto flute or clarinet would be an acceptable alternative, as would a recorder. (Transposed parts are provided). The saxophone part may be played by either an alto or tenor instrument, or by a clarinet or cor anglais. A transposed part for each is provided. The didjeridu opens the work with several lusty kookaburra imitations (to greet the dawn) and then retreats into the background as an underlying drone, freely rhythmic and occasionally rising to prominence.

 

Choir chimes are a most acceptable alternative to the crotali, and if the tuned gongs are unobtainable they may be replaced by two suspended cymbals or two tam-tams, one medium and one large. It will be necessary, of course, to equalize the winds in performance. The shakuhachi in particular will need boosting, especially if – as in the original performance – it is paired with a tenor saxophone. The vocal soloist must be able to produce top C clearly and accurately and should be a girl or boy, or a young woman capable of producing a pure, unforced sound throughout the range. Where possible, the soloist should perform from a high position, e.g., an organ loft. Attention to lighting is encouraged – a gentle, white light appropriate to the dawn in an otherwise darkened space

 

Hi Jane, Hope you find these notes Ross and I have sent you useful. As you can see, it was not originally danced nor was it actually a collaboration as such. Ross devised it all very specifically. You may find it helpful to hire the kit from Hal Leonard Australia as it gives a range of possibilities. – ausclassical@halleonard.com.au You may also be interested in listening to this and Dawn Canticles on You Tube.Ross’ website is www.rossedwards.com Very best wishes from Ross and me for a wonderful, creative year ahead. Helen

New Australia Day Anthem?

Warning – Controversial Topic To Follow

What songs represent Australia Day for you?

Is there an existing song or piece?  What is it and who wrote it?

Would you commission a new one?  Who would you have write it and what would it be about?

Is it irreverent to deviate from the established norm. Some of our elected leaders want to make it so.

January 26 – the date is an issue for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Many Aboriginal Australians refer to it as ‘Invasion Day’ or ‘Survival Day’, as colonisation has brought much pain to their country and people.  The date is a symbol of great pain and anger for many.  Others embrace it in a celebratory manner.

However, Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples love this country.  It is their home with which they have a deep spiritual connection.

So why is there so much disparity in attitudes?

I don’t mean to propose any solutions, but rather raise an awareness of these issues. I ask you to keep an open mind and listen to others with due respect.

The National Australia Day Council headlines their website with the following quote :

“Our First Peoples are the traditional custodians of our beautiful lands and waterways and have a fundamental role in the great Australian story. We aspire to an Australia Day that can increasingly include a recognition and celebration by all Australians of the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to our nation.”

 

Because of conflicting emotions, the music surrounding Australia Day is also conflicting. There are songs and pieces of pain and pieces of pride.

Most Music Teachers are still on their holidays when Australia Day falls so it is not a topic that generally gets covered.  If it was though, what could be done in the Music classroom?

Do we blindly follow the established traditions? Do we really listen to the lyrics and understand the context of the era in which they were written and who by??

Here are some suggestions for a new ‘norm’ of the modern era, with ancient undertones.

 

Kindy to Year 3

Have students dance to “Welcome To All People” Ruby Hunter.  Older students could make up some dance moves to go with the lyrics.

 

Year 3 to Year 12

• “Black Smoke” Emily Wurramurra
• “Treaty” Yothu Yindi
• “Black Fella White Fella” Warumpi Band
• “Kalkadunga Yurdu” William Barton

Watch the video clips or listen to the audio for two or more of the above songs and pose these questions for discussion, “Which music represents Australia Day? How? Choose one other and describe how could you make it more appropriate?”

In a group write and perform an arrangement of a chorus or verse to make it more suitable for Australia Day.

For students from Year 7 and up the following article could add to the discussions.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/jan/18/celebrating-australia-day-on-26-january-like-dancing-on-graves-says-reconciliation-body

 

 

Other Interesting Reading

https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/culture/article/2017/08/04/nitvs-top-five-protest-songs This has really great information about the January 26 issue and some great music.  Not all of it is suitable for students, important for teachers though.

 

https://www.reconciliation.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Lets-Talk-Music.pdf

 

Post Script

To totally lower the tone of this blog, my husbands’ suggestion is

Sensitive New Age Cowpersons- The New Australian National Anthem.

 

He edits my work and made me put this in.