National school music program lead by John Foreman Oam & ARIA Award winning artict LIOR

Once again hundreds of thousands of students from around the country will join in song for Music: Count Us In. The annual program is Australia’s largest school music participation program which offers a unique opportunity for students to take part, for free, learning the same song in the lead up to Celebration Day which will see students from over 3,500 schools sing the same song, on the same day, at the same time.

Earlier this year four talented student songwriters were selected from a national songwriting competition to pen the 2020 Music: Count Us In song titled ‘You Won’t Bring Us Down’. Flying in from around the country, just prior to Covid-19 travel and social distancing restrictions being implemented, the competition winners Eve Cooper (North Hobart, TAS), Greta Lynch (Mosman Park, WA), Trent May (Yeppoon, QLD) and Ava Sharp (Fremantle, WA) worked with long time program ambassador John Foreman OAM and ARIA Award winning 2020 Music: Count Us In music mentor Lior.

Since bursting on to the Australian music scene in 2005 with his stunning debut album ‘Autumn Flow’ (including much loved and timeless opening track ‘This Old Love’), Lior has amassed an incredibly diverse artistic output of albums, collaborations with orchestras and composers, as well as a hugely popular children’s song Hoot’s Lullaby from ABC Kids’ television show Giggle and Hoot. Recently awarded the Sidney Myer Creative Fellowship for “outstanding talent and exceptional courage”, we’re hugely excited to have Lior mentoring our young songwriting team this year in partnership with Music: Count Us In Program Ambassador John Foreman.

On being the 2020 Music: Count Us In mentor, Lior said: “Music makes us better people. The wide ranging positive flow on effects from better music education has been proven time and time again. I’m excited about working with talented young songwriters to create this year’s program song that will be sung by hundreds of thousands of school students around Australia, and to work together with ‘Music: Count Us In’ in celebrating the power of music education.”

This year’s song ‘You Won’t Bring Us Down’ draws on themes of young people standing up for what they believe in, inspired by climate change and the recent Australian bushfires. The track was recorded remotely because of Covid-19 restrictions with vocals performed by Theoni Marks from the Talent Development Project.

For more information about Music: Count Us In and to sign up for FREE to learn this year’s song in the lead up to Celebration Day on Thursday November 5th, 2020 visit www.musiccountusin.org.au