Aussie Beautiful - A song (with various choral arrangements) by Brian Maunder

Aussie Beautiful 

A song and choral arrangement by Brian Maunder 

G'day and welcome.

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

Full Music Score for Aussie Beautiful

(If you have problems accessing music score, please email me and i will sent it to you as a pdf for free)

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

Backing Track - Instrumental and Vocals

Backing Track - Piano only

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. 

The Juggernauts - Songbook Intro - a bit about the band - awesome songs

 The Juggernauts (FIG JAM) Song Book

Yeeehaaar. Can you believe it? The Juggernauts Song Book is complete. I don’t know why, or how, or what manner of psychosis compelled me to plough through hours and hours and hours of tape-recorded practices and demo’s, but the drive was strong and constant enough to keep me going till the end.  It’s a strange thing, but I think the idea began after a bizarre dream I had a few years ago.  I was in an Op-Shop, rummaging through the music section when suddenly I discovered a heap of Jugg’s tapes. Someone had apparently just thrown them out as rubbish. I couldn’t believe it. But then I was asked if I would like to buy them. In the dream, I remember, I couldn’t make a decision. Should I, or shouldn’t I, buy the tapes?  Then I awoke. “How weird,” I thought. But it set my mind to thinking, and I felt as if those old and worn tapes were symbols of me and the people associated with the band. I remember having a horrible feeling of loss when I awoke from the dream having not made a solid purchase. Those tapes may be old and worn, but they contain something unique and truly precious within them: I should have realised that. Now they are gone forever.

 

Years passed and I forgot about the dream. Life’s busy and we are all trying to survive. In the end, really, what does it matter? Sadly, this is what happens when we grow up and move on. We let go of our experiences of childhood and youth, and often lose touch with so much associated with that. Fortunately, however, the steering wheel of life turned me back to listening to some old Jugg’s tunes again, and again I was smitten. “These songs,” I thought, “actually exist… however they only exist within the hearts and minds of a select group of fortunate people. No-one else will ever know these songs unless somehow they get expressed.”

This is what set me going. I collected together the few tapes and photos I had, and then got my hands on some more photos and tapes after contacting Max and Pete (I had not seen these guys for 20 years or more, so these were amazing meetings). From there I listened to everything and documented each tape’s content. There is still more in the Juggernauts-musical pool, but I took the main songs, wrote out the words and music in sheet form, and created from each song, a YouTube video. I sort of had this vision… Imagine bringing all this into the modern era. Imagine a fast, hard-core, energetic thumping-jumping concert, with a new group of enthusiastic kids.. with drums, guitars, keys, bones, horns, saxophones… jamming it out… so I can mosh in the pit. I may be old now.. but I still want to go crazy to these tunes. This is the way I worship. This is my expression of praise. I want to be a Juggernauts fan, and wait outside all night in the rain and cold so I can catch a glimpse of my heroes. I want to go to an awesome concert and marvel at the wonder. I want a new paisley shirt. With this vision in mind, I condensed and “amped-up” some tunes with a combo of original and personal content, thinking, what would be fun to play and experience at a gig.

 

A few things about the band.

 

The band went through many changes over the years, but it would be fair to say that Pete Roe and Andrew (Max) Moore were the twin ventricles of its beating heart: with Mark Schumacher being like some Aortic valve or something. These guys created much of the foundations of the band’s songs and craziness, and were the constant through all the years of differing muso’s coming and going. The thing about the band, the music and the albums, was that everyone associated with any of these things had FUN, and were accepted into the mayhem with open sweaty arms.

 

There were times when the band tried with all our efforts to create a good sound, but it was always difficult. In those days we were limited to 4 track taping systems, analogue gear and limited resources… and the band never had a sound engineer so we had to do all that ourselves. Also, we weren’t virtuoso-type musicians and we were all at various skill levels musically. In reality, everything was an effort borne out of some deep inner urge and passion to just express our personalities and faith, in sound and song. This was our creative and soul-invigorating outlet and the musical process allowed everyone involved to add new things into the soup, regardless of ability. Some of it tasted okay, but most of it was steam and bubbles. Some of it was beyond terrible. This, however, was how the muso’s developed personal skills and ideas, and, importantly it’s also how the songs were formed and forged. We were like Pro Hart playing with his vegemite, Sir Les Patterson spilling his wine. It was crazy, messy and oft-times hard to witness, but in the end, a ‘work’ did actually get created…  and these were the basis of some really great musical ideas and songs.

 

And now, thanks to modern tech, we have something concrete that exists beyond the hearts, minds and memories of the band. The tapes have spoken, and I’m so glad they have. Yes, a lot of it is difficult to listen to, but beyond the awful sound quality, the noise, the feedback, and woeful attempts, are some brilliant “songs” hammered into existence by the best attempts of a group of energetic lads, not ashamed to express an elemental faith, with souls full of love and life.

 

A fun fact…

 

The band originated in the early 1980’s when an Ingle Farm Salvation Army youth leader named Robin Judd asked Max and Pete and some others in the youth group, to get together to do a few songs. They formed up and called themselves “The Juddernauts” (after the youth leaders name), but after the event, the band kept going and renamed themselves “The Juggernauts”…

…  And thus the legend began.

 

Contributors to the band over the years.

 

Andrew Moore (Max) - drums

Peter Roe - singer

Mark Schumacher (Shoe) – bass/guitar

Chris Soole (Sparkey) - Sax

Darren Roe - bass

Brian Maunder - keys

Ian Haines - bass

Glenn Goldsmith - guitar

Craig Haines - guitar

Andrew Robinson (Robbo) - bass

Alan Collins (Moonie) - model

James Warnes - bass

Andrew Washington - bass

Jason Richards -bass

David Gardiner - Trombone

Neil Percy - flute

Mark Williams - trumpet

Joanne Hughes - Vocals

Veronica Wright - Vocals

Lyn Curnow - Vocals

Andrew Hosch – Flute/Tech

Brady, Marty and Paul - Vocals

Slugger (Collinson) - bass

 

There were also numerous people involved from Ingle Farm Youth Group, including Go-Go Girls, people helping out as roadies and sound etc. The band thanks all these peeps. God bless you all.

Click here to access the YouTube Channel - The Unstoppable Juggernauts

Songs in the FIG JAM Song Book

1.     Rise up my Soul Rise up

2.     Make the Lord your Goal

3.     Come into my Heart

4.     Never Quit the Fields

5.     Daylight’s Almost Here

6.     Find Me Watching You

7.     Spiritual Thing (No YouTube reference)

8.     FIG JAM (Faith in God, Just ask me)

9.     Jesus Sanctuary

10.  I Won’t Leave You or Forsake You

11.  Old Old Story

12.  Man of Sorrows

13.  Stand Your Ground (Bri’s Version)

14.  Oh! For a Closer Walk with God.

15.  Rock’n’Roll Star

 

Juggernauts Classic Songs

(Words are included in the Song Book, however no chord sheets made.) - Also, because the WILD album is on YouTube, music references for these songs can be made here)

1.     Trust On

2.     Jesus Took My Burden

3.     Stand Your Ground (original)

4.     On the Road

 

Notable Contenders

These songs were notable contenders for the book but I had to draw the line somewhere. This project could just keep going and going as I love all these songs. I think they should ALL be properly recorded just so I can listen to them.
 

1.     Water into Wine (Get the man who changed the)

2.     Broken Chains (Jesus broke the chains that bound)

3.     Set Apart - (Note: I would have LOVED this song to be in the song book as it was one of my favourites to play and listen to. Unfortunately, I just can’t find the lyrics anywhere and I can’t figure them out from the recordings I have. The song is on YouTube though… but just as a musical reference)

4.     Come to me (and I will give you rest)

5.     Don’t Cry Mary

6.     Taught Me Lies (and told me they were truth) - brilliant words so apt for todays climate of misinformation etc.

7.     Shine on me (great verse and chorus but bridge and song structure needs work I reckon)

 

 

Other notable masterpieces.

1.     Empty Cross

2.     The Greatest of These

3.     Take His Body Gently

4.     Receive

5.     Broken Chains (Jesus broke the chains that bound)

6.     Golden Opportunity

7.     Keep on Believing

8.     We’re Groanin’ (classic chain-gang song)

9.     Christ Cruisin’

10.  Taken Away

11.  Pressin’ On

12.  Look Ahead

13.  It’s tough

14.  Holy One (Here He Comes)

 

Other great songs

1.     For Jesus (as Jesus would have me do) – love this one

2.     From Now On (earn your pay) – love this one too

3.     Bye Oh Bye – also love this one

4.     Wipe Out (not a Jugg’s song but still fun to do)

5.     Big Superpower

6.     God’s Choir in the Sky – yes… and I love this one as well

 

Note: Mark Schumacher wrote many songs, some of which were Juggernaut Classics, some of which were his personal songs that didn’t get to the band. Here are a few of his songs that sit somewhere in the middle.

1.     Pick it up

2.     Jesus Rap

3.     Young Love

4.     Love is Simply Savage

 

These are most of the songs, however there are probably a few that I couldn’t find and can’t remember etc. Like a lot of bands, we experimented with (not drugs) a lot of ideas. I didn’t include instrumental songs in this list.

Stand Your Ground

The Juggernauts

 

V1

The battle that we fight, is not against flesh and blood.

But the forces of evil, that’s sure to be enough.

 

Chorus

Stand your ground (or the battle y’will lose)

Stand your ground (you’ve got to choose)
Stand your ground

…. (the lines are wearing thin, stand your ground)

If you want to win… (you’ve got to)

Stand your ground.

V2

For the Devil and his schemes, will be overthrown.

So, get on, Gods side now. And make your intentions known.

 

Chorus

 

Bridge 1.

With the belt of truth around your waist

With the breastplate of righteousness in place

Take the shield of faith and fit your feet

With the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace

 

Instrumental on verse

 

Bridge 2

Then take the sword that the Spirit has given

Along with the helmet of Salvation

Pray without ceasing never stop at all

For if you do, you will only fall…. (Alright)

 

V3

If you’re only half-hearted, you’ll get blown away

So put on the full armour, and get into the fray.

 

Chorus

 

Trust On

The Juggernauts (the Wild album)

 

Trust on. O’ troubled heart today

Let nothing now heart dismay’

God cares for you, so come what may

Trust on. O’ troubled heart, trust on

 

Trust on. And journey unafraid

And smile through sunshine or through shade

Believe the promises Christ made

Trust on. He cannot fail. Trust on.

 

Trust on. When there seems no way out.

And threatening foes are all about.

And instead of giving way to doubt

Trust on. God cares for you, trust on

 

Jesus Took my Burden

(The Wild Album)

 

Words: J. Oatman

Music: Roe/Schumacher/Moore

 

 

When I a poor lost sinner, before the Lord did fall

And in the name of Jesus, for pardon loud did call

He heard my supplication, And soon the weak was strong

For Jesus took my burden and left me with a song

 

Chorus

Yes Jesus took my burden, I could no longer bear,

Jesus took my burden, In answer to my prayer,

My anxious fears subsided, my spirit was made strong

For Jesus took my burden, And left me with a song.

 

Oft times the way is dreary, And rugged seems the road,

Oft times I’m weak and weary, When bent beneath some load

But when I cry in weakness, ‘How long, O’ Lord, how long?’

Then Jesus took my burden and left me with a song.

 

When I was crushed with sorrow, I bow’d in deep despair,

My load of grief and heartache seem’d more than I could bear;

Twas then I heard a whisper, To You the Lord belong

Then Jesus took my burden and left me with a song.

 

I’ll trust Him for the future, He knoweth all the way,

For with His eyes He’ll guide, Along life’s pilgrim way;

And I will tell in Heaven, while the ages roll along,

How Jesus took my burden, and left me with a song

On the Road

(The Wild Album)

 

Words: A. Mingay
Music: Roe/Schumacher/Moore

 

When the steep road, mounts before you

And your heart, knows dumb despair

When the spirit, quails within you

Burdens sore with anxious care

When you summon all your courage

Hoping thus to bear the load

Then remember, we are promised

A companion on the road

 

CHORUS

On the road

On the road

You will find Him on the road

Giving strength for the load

A companion on the road.

 

Why those miles of gloom and sadness

All beset by haunting fears?

Why those shameful backward glances?

Why so many fretful tears?

God has given us an escort

Christ His Spirit has bestowed,

He will share our every trial

Our Companion on the road

 

Dark temptations, may assail me

Untold sorrows me await.

Many tumults, be my portion

Ere I reach the city gate

Not more will I, fear the journey

For in that last abode

I will praise through, endless ages

My  companion on the road.