Aussie Beautiful
A song and choral arrangement by Brian Maunder
We live in a beautiful and wonderful nation... but sometimes I do think we forget that. With all the bad news on TV and the web, the political scandals, the costs of living....etc. etc. I think its easy to forget that we are still so blessed to belong to the best nation in the universe.
I wrote this song many years ago, and created a choral arrangement for it. I am also making it available for FREE... consider it my gift to Australia. When I was a kid at school, I was a part of a truly wonderful choir, which in many ways, was one of the reasons I wrote vocal parts and harmonies for this Aussie song. As yet, I have yet to hear it sung by a choir, however, I haven't promoted it much, and this is the first time I have made it available online. Hopefully some choir out there in this big vast land may include it in their repertoire.
Designed for a stress free performance, Aussie Beautiful can be sung in single melody, or in 3 part harmony with an arrangement that makes it fun for all parts. (yes, even the baritones get a chance to sing the melody)
Here are some links that take you to YouTubes to hear the song and backing tracks.
Aussie Beautiful - Promo of choral arrangements
Aussie Beautiful by Brian Maunder
Lyrics Sheet for Aussie Beautiful
I have created three choral arrangements for this song.
1. Full
2. A Shortened beginning
3 A shortened beginning AND a shortened ending.
This is to make different versions available to choirs of varying abilities; from Primary School to the more advanced Choirs. I have also created individual musical tracks for each vocal part for each arrangement so that singers can easily practice the individual parts.... As a consequence, there are so many files it would be confusing (and taxing) to put them all on this blog.
If you would like to have individual parts, backing tracks for the shortened versions etc. please contact me via email on Briboy1@hotmail.com or message be through Facebook (Brian Maunder).
Please be assured that this is all available for FREE - YAAAAAY
Backing Track - Instrumental and Vocals
And how cool is this Teachers..... it can help with curriculum.
Here are some possible ways “Aussie Beautiful” may enhance the teaching of subjects within the Australian Curriculum (F-Y10)
Humanities and Social Sciences: Civics and Citizenship.
- Pose questions about the society in which they live (ACHCS004)
- Reflect on their cultural identity and how it might be similar and different from others (ACHCS010)
- Pose questions about the society in which they live (ACHCS015)
- Present ideas and opinions on civics and citizenship topics and issues using civics and citizenship terms (ACHCS020)
- They describe factors that shape a person’s identity and sense of belonging.
- Identify over-generalised statements in relation to civics and citizenship topics and issues (ACHCS029)
- Present civics and citizenship ideas and viewpoints for a particular purpose using civics and citizenship terms and concepts (ACHCS033)
Who can be an Australian citizen, the formal rights and responsibilities, and shared values of Australian citizenship (ACHCK038)
- Students explain what it means to be an Australian citizen and how people can participate as global citizens.
- How Australia is a secular nation and a multi-faith society (ACHCK051)
- How values, including freedom, respect, inclusion, civility, responsibility, compassion, equality and a ‘fair go’, can promote cohesion within Australian society (ACHCK052)
- Reflect on their role as a citizen in Australia’s democracy (ACHCS060)
- How groups, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, express their particular identities, how this influences their perceptions of others, and others’ perception of them (ACHCK053)
- Students also examine what it means to be Australian by identifying the reasons for and influences that shape national identity.
- Critically analyse information and ideas from a range of sources in relation to civics and citizenship topics and issues (ACHCS070)
- Judeo-Christian traditions of Australian society and religions practised in contemporary Australia (ACHCK065)
- different perspectives about Australia’s national identity, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives, and what it means to be Australian (ACHCK066)
- How national identity can shape a sense of belonging in Australia’smulticultural society (ACHCK067)
- Account for different interpretations and points of view (ACHCS085)
- The influence of a range of media, including social media, in shaping identities and attitudes to diversity (ACHCK080)
Music
- Develop aural skills by exploring and imitating sounds, pitch and rhythm patterns using voice, movement and body percussion (ACAMUM080)
- Sing and play instruments to improvise, practise a repertoire of chants, songs and rhymes, including songs used by cultural groups in the community(ACAMUM081)
- Create compositions and perform music to communicate ideas to an audience (ACAMUM082)
- Respond to music and consider where and why people make music, starting with Australian music, including music of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (ACAMUR083)
- Develop aural skills by exploring, imitating and recognising elements of music including dynamics, pitch and rhythm patterns (ACAMUM084)
- Practise singing, playing instruments and improvising music, using elements of music including rhythm, pitch, dynamics and form in a range of pieces, including in music from the local community (ACAMUM085)
- Create, perform and record compositions by selecting and organising sounds, silence, tempo and volume (ACAMUM086)
- Identify intended purposes and meanings as they listen to music using the elements of music to make comparisons, starting with Australian music, including music of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (ACAMUR087)
- Practise and rehearse a variety of music, including Australian music to develop technical and expressive skills (ACAMUM094)
- Analyse composers’ use of the elements of music and stylistic features when listening to and interpreting music (ACAMUR097)
- Analyse a range of music from contemporary and past times to explore differing viewpoints and enrich their music making, starting with Australian music,including music of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and consider music in international contexts (ACAMUR105)
History
- Students learn about their own history and that of their family; this may include stories from different cultures and other parts of the world.
- Who the people in their family are, where they were born and raised and how they are related to each other (ACHHK001)
- The importance of Country and Place to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples who belong to a local area.(ACHHK060)
- The role that people of diverse backgrounds have played in the development and character of the local community (ACHHK062)
- The contribution of individuals and groups, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and migrants, to the development of Australian society, for example in areas such as the economy, education, science, the arts, sport. (ACHHK116)
Geography
- The reasons why some places are special to people, and how they can be looked after (ACHGK004)
- The connections of people in Australia to other places in Australia, the countries of the Asia region, and across the world (ACHGK012)
- examining how a person’s wellbeing is influenced by where they live, with reference to at least two different places in Australia
- identifying and describing the major natural features of Australia, for example, rivers, deserts, rainforests, the Great Dividing Range and the Great Barrier Reef
- The ways in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples maintain special connections to particular Country/Place
- examining the ways people are connected to other places through, for example, relatives, friends, things people buy or obtain, holidays, sport, family origin, beliefs, and places of particular significance
etc.
The topics in this song are expansive and can be applied to a range of subjects within the curriculum. It uses various musical methods, including the imitation of sounds (didgeridoo) and engaging the use of English language used as poetry. There are references to our nation's indigenous and to the nations beyond our borders. Also mentioned are our opals (mineral resources), fauna and “endless seas” and the people who live here now (you and me). It opens questions and dialogue on what does it mean to be “Aussie Beautiful” and how and where do we get our identity etc. Obviously these topics are only highlighted in the song and are not “in depth” discussions, but they can help in assisting students connect with important issues within our culture and identity.
