Melanie Dyer The Australian Children’s Music Foundation Winner

THE ACMF NATIONAL SONGWRITING WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Powerful lyrics written by a country schoolgirl about the hardship of drought and life on the land have won a key award in the prestigious ACMF National Songwriting Competition announced today.

14-yar old Melanie Dyer from Mount Russell in northwestern New South Wales, is among 45 school students who have taken out awards in the National Songwriting Competition organised by The Australian Children’s Music Foundation.

Melanie’s song "Life on the Land" relates her family’s struggle with drought on their third generation grain and sheep farm near Inverell.

The ACMF founder Don Spencer OAM said, "The judges were deeply moved by both the words and the singing of this ballad and Melanie is a deserving winner."

"The judges have had a difficult task with an unprecedented level of talent demonstrated in 1000 entrants from primary, secondary and specific purposes schools across Australia", Mr Spencer said.

For the first time some of the winning songwriters will perform their compositions at the Sydney Festival First Night in January 2008.

The entrants were judged by an independent panel of Australian music industry identities including Jenny Morris (singer), Mark Callaghan, Allan Caswell, Marcus Holden and Rebecca Henry across competition categories including drought, hip hop, instrumental and specific purpose schools.

Among the category winners was an instrumental composition entitled Overture for Australian Youth written by 17-year-old Sydney student Joel Vouzakis.

"Overture for Australian Youth is just a phenomenal piece of work. It could go straight to a symphony orchestra it’s so good", said Don Spencer.

The competition, now in its fourth year, seeks to encourage the creativity and imagination of children through music.

"It is an unfortunate fact that fewer than 25% of public schools in Australia have music teachers, we know that’s wrong and we are working hard to bring music into children’s lives," Don Spencer said.

First place winners in the competition receive a certificate for $750 worth of musical equipment with their schools also receiving $750 for musical equipment.

A full list of winners can be seen at www.acmf.com.au