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Hearts in Harmony– music that gets to the heart ofthe communityWhen Australian musician, composer and Orff practitioner, Susie Davies-Splitter, cowrote a song called Hearts in Harmony, she had no idea that it would lead to thefounding of a thriving music charity. Here, she tells us about the ethos behindHearts in Harmony Community Music.How it all beganThe ideas for Hearts in Harmony began witha song my husband and I wrote some yearsago and developed as part of my work atthe Australian Catholic University (ACU) inMelbourne where I was working as a musiclecturer in the School of Education. My rolewas divided into three parts – teaching,research and community engagementwhich included the Hearts in Harmonyprogrammes.The first programme was a communitychoir formed in February 2010 for the ACUstudents and staff. In 2011, students wereable to continue their participation with theadded bonus of it forming part of theircommunity engagement. We opened upthe membership and weekly rehearsalswere held at Atherton Gardens publichousing estate in Fitzroy behind theLet’s all join hands as oneNo matter who we areTogether, we make a differenceEach a shining starFor all of us are equalAnd this we must believeTogether, we can flyWith our Hearts in Harmonyuniversity. The membership includedpeople from Africa, India, Pakistan andChina, many of whom came from nonEnglish-speaking backgrounds, havingarrived in Australia as refugees andasylum-seekers.In addition to the choir, three communitymusic day events took place at ACU during2010 and 2011. Attendance includedapproximately 150 ACU students (mostlypre-service teachers), 70 adults and 70children (0-12 years) at each event plus ateam of volunteers. The philosophy was toembrace the words of the song and provideinclusive musical experiences for all in ajoyful environment.At the end of 2011, I was honoured to receive the ACU National Staff CommunityEngagement Award where I was givenA 5,000 to put towards a charity of mychoice.A charity that provided musical events andprojects seemed like the perfect fit. And so,sponsored by this grant money, a not-forprofit organisation, Hearts in HarmonyCommunity Music (HHCM) Inc., waslaunched on 22 April 2012 at the beautifulcontinued on page 10El Sistema Youth Orchestra at the Federation Square concert on 22 April 20128Music Education Asia magazine: May–August 2013 musiceducation.asia

continued from page 8diversity in a fun, engaging and nonthreatening environment.BMW Edge venue in Federation Square,Melbourne. The full-day event, entitled OneVoice, One Song, was followed by a secondevent, Everyone Sing, in November 2012.Both events were sponsored by FederationSquare and the City of Yarra.Led by committee-appointed artistic directorsand governed by a Committee of Management, HHCM’s membership consists of adedicated group of volunteers who bring withthem a wealth of knowledge and experience.What is Hearts in Harmony CommunityMusic?Hearts in Harmony Community Music’svision is to build healthy communitiesthrough inclusive music for all ages,abilities, faiths and cultures and to raiseawareness of the importance of activemusic-making in schools and communitiesaround Australia. HHCM’s mission is toimplement sustainable music programmesthat build capacity and social capital,develop positive connections, enhancehealth and well-being and embraceProgrammesIn 2013, our programmes consist of community choirs, community music days and musicoutreach for schools and aged care facilities.Each full day community music eventinvolves practical workshops led by experienced educators and artists in some of thefollowing: singing, folk dancing, playing instruments such as African drums, marimbas,wacky instruments or ukuleles. Theseevents also have a concert that features aninter-generational massed choir and ‘All In’sing-and-play to a well-known tune.Playing an echo cello in a workshopPlanning is in the pipeline for newprogrammes including Music Moves (acontinued on page 13Hearts in Harmony Community Music ConcertsOne Voice, One Song – 22 April 2012Two hundred people attended the OneVoice, One Song massed choir rehearsalat BMW Edge in Federation Square,Melbourne. This was the first time thatdifferent member groups of the intergenerational choir had rehearsedmarimba groups, El Sistema YouthOrchestra, Zhang Wei who played ahulusi (Chinese flute), Warren Wills whoperformed at the piano and the intergenerational massed choir.The choir performed three beautifulEveryone Sing – 11 November 2012Over 200 choristers participated in theEveryone Sing concert which took placeonce again at the BMW Edge inFederation Square, Melbourne. Theinter-generational choir consisted ofschool and community choirs plusfamilies from three generations andresidents from Emmy Monash AgedCare facility. Choristers ranged in agefrom four to 94!Other performers included the Greensborough Primary school’s marimba group,Gladstone Park Primary school’s violinensemble and GTR (Good Times Roll) band.Emmy Monash Aged Care residents in the massed choir at Federation Squaretogether. These included 11 differentgroups from schools, adult communitychoirs and church groups plus a numberof families.The concert began at 1pm and featuredGTR (Good Times Roll) band, Pinewoodand Greensborough Primary schools’10pieces – Siyahumba (African), AlShlosha D’varim (Hebrew), conductedby well-known choral conductor, MarkO’Leary, and theme song, Hearts inHarmony (written by Susie and herhusband, Phil), the latter withAuslan (Australian Sign Language)signs.The choir performed Iparadisi (African),Sesere eeye (Torres Strait Islands),conducted by Mark O’Leary, and Downunder in Australia (written by Susie andher husband, Phil). The ‘All In’ finalecombined the choir, all the other performersand some workshop attendees whoperformed Wimowey accompanied bydjembes, marimbas and ukuleles.Hearts in Harmony’s next concert willtake place on 6 October 2013 with GuestConductor, Richard Gill OAM (Medal ofthe Order of Australia).Susie Davies-SplitterMusic Education Asia magazine: May–August 2013 musiceducation.asia

TestimonialsHHCM day events‘Thank you so much for inviting Beaconhills totake part. The kids had an absolutelysensational time. We would definitely love tobe part of an event such as this again. Thestudents are still talking about the workshops.The parents who attended the concert werealso all delighted. We had a wonderful day andare very pleased to have been provided withsuch an awesome opportunity.’Tiffany Farlow, music teacher at BeaconhillsSchool‘Thank you for putting together a specialcommunity music-making day that the wholefamily could be engaged with and involved in.Everyone in my family from my 13-month-old tomy 60 mother got something out of it. We arelooking forward to the next one!’Katie Hull-Brown, parent and music teacher‘The inter-generational massed choir was anamazing finale to an inspiring and uplifting dayof music-making, happiness and joy. It mademy heart sing! Congratulations to all involvedand I look forward to being an activeparticipant in future events.’Louise Downey, past-principal and schoolteacher‘The recent massed choir event atFederation Square organised by Hearts inHarmony Community Music brought anincredible opportunity for a group of our choirmembers to sing as equals amongst othersin a very special public performance. Itwas a very meaningful and affirmingexperience for the elders of Emmy Monashand for me personally as an aged care artspractitioner.’Pamela Bruder, Life Enrichment ProgrammeCoordinator, Emmy Monash Aged Care‘Quote from one of my Greensborough Primarystudents yesterday when asked if she enjoyedSunday: It was super, super, super, super,super awesome!’Heather McLaughlin, music teacher atGreensborough and Pinewood Primary Schools‘I experienced the true meaning of communitymusic. I was witness to the joy and energythat comes from communication through thearts and I felt the uniting tie of music as itconnected me with new and wonderful people.’Bree Monks, 4th year B.Ed student, AustralianCatholic UniversityThe massed choir at Federation SquareHHCM choirs‘What I love about the choir is that it is soinclusive. Anyone can come into the choir andmake music with us and the standard of musiccreated together is immensely satisfying.I leave each week feeling invigorated anduplifted and convinced that the most potentway of enjoying music is to participate inmaking it with others.’Jillian Gundermann, choir member‘Wednesday rehearsals with Hearts InHarmony Community Choir have become ahighlight of my week. When the harshrealities of life get me down and simple tasksfeel like a huge effort, choir practice is alwaysan effective antidote. Joining Hearts InHarmony was one of my best movesthis year!’Emily Muschol, choir member‘Our choir is very inclusive. I am a new mum.I have been bringing my baby to rehearsalsfor a few months now. Not only does it getme out of the house but I get to meetlovely people and do what I love to dowhich is sing!’Louise Rogers, choir member‘Being an older person and an incompletequadriplegic, I joined the choir with muchtrepidation earlier in the year. However, myanxieties were pushed aside because I wasmade very welcome and feel very much partof the group. I enjoy the new friendships, therepertoire and performances. Being aquadriplegic, the singing and exercises we doeach week help me with my breathing, thuspreventing chest infections. Susie, you area good leader too.’Cheng Pheng Ng, choir memberMusic Education Asia magazine: May–August 2013 musiceducation.asia‘I'm a big fan of music and also love singing; theHearts in Harmony Choir offers a terrific opportunity for me. All of the members are friendly andthe atmosphere is quite relaxing. The choice ofsongs reflects the multicultural features. I likethe opportunities for performance as well; it'sfun to participate, absolutely worth the effort.’Zhang Wei, choir memberAll programmes‘I have been a member of the Hearts inHarmony Choir and have participated in theHearts in Harmony community music days.Susie’s passionate belief in the power of musicand the arts to build individual and communityconfidence, growth and connectedness ismatched by her creativity, compassion and skillin building individual mastery, collectiveperformances and joyful celebration.’Helen Butler, Senior Lecturer, School ofEducation, Australian Catholic University‘Susie has been an exemplar in her creationof many initiatives during the past few years,through the Hearts in Harmony Choir andcommunity music days, to bring peopletogether through the joy of music. Hermusical talent, passion for social inclusionand creative energy have combined todevelop meaningful relationships andexperiences. Susie has offered countlessvolunteer hours to the development ofHearts in Harmony, welcoming of participants,strengthening community relationshipsand making a positive impact. She is anextraordinary woman and her endeavoursare to be congratulated and celebrated.’Mary Campbell, Relations Coordinator,Institute for Advancing CommunityEngagement, Australian CatholicUniversity11