Music Count Us In 2019

Somerset College Junior School participated in a National celebration of music education, with around 750 000 students from more than 3500 schools across Australia, Thursday 7 November. Music Count Us In is Australia’s largest school initiative, and it culminates in the National Celebration Day when more than half a million students sing the same song, on the same day, at the same time – the annual Program Song. It is a song written by students, for students.

We performed this year's song at Showcase on Monday evening to our family and friends with orchestra and concert band. Our Year Prep to Year 5 classes performed the song on celebration day with their year groups, and the Years 5 to 6 Junior Chorale joined in song with Mudgeeraba Special School students.

We celebrate this event as Somerset proudly has a tradition of promoting the Arts and quality music education for students. It is my philosophy as a teacher that music is for everyone. Music Count Us In is a fantastic learning opportunity for students to work together and be part of such a large scale performance, and an enjoyable experience that they will remember. Somerset Junior School have participated in Music Count Us In since 2016, and it is embedded into their Term Three and Term Four music curriculum.

Research shows the impact on the brain, how it helps students engage in school, and the links between music learning and academic skills. Music is unique in its flow-on benefits to students who learn it. Such an event allows students to inquire into why we learn music, discovering how music helps our self-confidence, self-discipline and teamwork. Music helps us learn about the world, releases happy endorphins, improves memory, develops creativity, improves hand/eye co-ordination, relieves stress, improves literacy skills, let’s us link to and express our emotions, helps us work as a team, helps one find beauty in things, develops a sense of community, improves listening, helps us celebrate, motivates, reduces anxiety, and has many more benefits. We also highlight that not all schools offer music education, and stop to take notice and appreciate the many opportunities we are given at Somerset to participate in music programmes.