Susie Davies-Splitter & Phil Splitter

Susie is a music and movement educator, Orff practitioner, jazz musician, composer and has a Master of Education degree with honours from the University of Melbourne.

According to his business card Phil holds a "Bachelor of Hearts with a Degree of Humour". He has been composing and performing since an early age, playing guitar and percussion, as well as singing in many bands. Phil is also an accomplished motivational speaker and humourist, script and songwriter as well as a dynamic and high calibre MC. He also has a strong background in sales working in both retail and wholesale for many years and is currently the part time Franchise Development Manager for 'Mini Maestros' who provide music programs for 6 months to 5 year olds. They also use a lot of Susie and Phil's music in their programs. (Check 'Mini Maestros' out under 'Links')

Together Susie and Phil have presented and conducted professional development workshops for teachers throughout Australia, New Zealand, Europe, USA, Canada and Asia as well as the renowned Orff Institute in Salzburg, Austria.

Susie and Phil have presented workshops and concerts at the International Society of Music Education (ISME) conferences in Spain, Malaysia and Italy as well as presenting at the American AOSA conference in San Jose in 2007.

Susie & Phil's Music

Susie and Phil have developed the very popular 'Welcome to Music' Series of CDs and books, musicals and choral range which is enjoyed extensively by teachers, parents and children of all ages all around the world. Titles include:

• Rainbows, Trees & Tambourines
• Bop in the Bath
• Funkey Monkey
• Razzamajazz
• Boomerang Jam
• The Power of You
• Move It
• Anything is Possible
• Sing, Jam & Jive
• Take Orff with Jazz
• Take Orff with Recorder
• Your Stage
• AlphabetZ

They also have 5 collections of their songs published by 'Themes and Variations' for the US and Canadian market which have proven very successful and are being sold in well known stores such as West Music, JW Pepper and Music in Motion.

Since 1997, Susie has been on the teaching team for Orff level courses for VOSA. Susie has trained pre-service students in music at the Australian Catholic University and Melbourne University and has recently completed her Masters in Music education at the same institution. She also presents a course "Joy of Jammin" an Orff based improvisation course accredited through VOSA and ANCOS (Australian National Council of Orff Schulwerk)

Susie and Phil regularly present shows, family music workshops, Artists in schools programs, professional development for teachers, performances and their popular 'Musikeynote' presentations at conferences. Over the years, they have been commissioned to write songs for schools and organizations, develop music programs in preschools and schools and direct choral festivals and large scale musical events.

Awards

Susie and Phil have also received numerous awards for their song writing including:

3rd place in the 2009 Australian Songwriter's Association Australia section 'Dinky Di Aussie’

3rd place in the 2009 Australian Songwriter's Association Children’s section 'Funkey Monkey’

10th place in the 2009 Australian Songwriter's Association Acoustic section 'Dare to be You’

2nd place winners in the 2008 Australian Songwriter's Association Australia section 'Say G’Day’

2nd place in the 2007 Australian Songwriter's Association Ballad section 'Hearts in Harmony’

2nd place in the 2006 Unisong International songwriting contest Children’s section (USA) for ‘Dinky Di Aussie’

2nd place in the 2006 QuickLaunch/FlightSafe Song Contest in the USA for ‘Dinky Di Aussie’

3rd place in the 2006 Australian Songwriter's Association Australia section 'The Green & the Gold'6th place in the Children's section for 'Funkey Monkey'

2nd place in the 2005 Australian Songwriters Association (ASA) Children’s section for ‘Banjo the Bunip’

4th place in the 2004 Unisong International songwriting contest Children’s section (USA) for ‘Banjo the Bunip’

1st and 3rd place in the 2003 (ASA) 'Spirit of Australia' section for ‘Down under in Australia’ and‘Dinky Di Aussie’

Susie and Phil's vision is to spread the word to as many children and adults around the world that singing, moving, dancing, playing and creating music is good for the heart, for the soul, the body and the mind and that everyone can enjoy music!

A bit of history

Welcome to Music was established in 1992 with Susie Davies-Splitter and Phil Splitter (husband) as a partnership. Their vision is to help make teaching and learning music easy and fun for all and enrich peoples’ lives with the joy of music and the arts.

Publications and Recordings

Susie and Phil have written and composed their own very successful music series for children entitled Welcome to Music comprising children’s CD’s with accompanying books for caregivers and teachers, as well as an extensive choral range and musicals.

These resources are used extensively in early childhood centres and schools in Australia, New Zealand,

Singapore, Malaysia, China, UK, Canada and the USA.

Songwriting commissions

Susie and Phil have been commissioned to write many compositions including 'Hearts in Harmony' for Playworks - theme song for a series of videos called 'Together we make a Difference' and 'Island in the Sky' for the Dandenong Ranges Music Council - a song written for children and families affected by the devastating bushfires in the Dandenongs in 1997. Also, their song ‘Strive for the Highest’ was written for Penhros College in Perth to celebrate their 50th anniversary and performed as part of the Hillsongs Choral Festival in 2004.

They have also written a number of school songs (Mitcham Primary School 06), (Leschenhault Primary School 05), songs for musicals (Korowa Girls’ School 05) as well as a literacy program (Little Learners love Literacy 09) and music program (Mini Maestros).

Many of their songs have been published in the ABC 'Sing' Books from 95 - 09 and a variety of songs have been rerecorded and performed by schools and mass choirs for performances and festivals around Australia and New Zealand.

Children's Shows

Since 1992 - Susie and Phil have written and performed children’s shows 'Rainbows,Trees & Tambourines', 'Welcome to Music', 'Razzamajazz' and ‘Funkey Monkey’ for children from 3 to 13 years around Australia, USA and Singapore.

Artists in Schools Programs (AIS)

Since 1997, Susie and Phil have conducted AIS programs in the following schools around Australia and overseas - Ferny Creek Primary School, Cheltenham East Primary School, Haileybury College, Cedar Way Elementary School in Seattle USA, Hawthorn West Primary School, Gembrook Primary School, Parkdale Primary School, Pakenhan Hills Primary School, Jazz Festivals at St Paul's Minimbah, Mt Dandenong Primary School, Sacre Coeur, Grimwade House, Melbourne Grammar middle school choir, Caulfield Grammar School, Westbourne Grammar, Joan of Arc School, Port Fairy School, Flagstone Primary School Qld, Newman Primary School, WA, Berwick Primary School, Peregian Springs College Qld, St Francis Xavier School, All Saint’s Arts Festival Qld,

Mentone Park Primary School, Ashwood Special School, Broadmeadows Special School, Hermannsberg indigenous school Northern Territory, Eltham College and Rose Park Primary School, Adelaide, Mentone Park Primary School, Harrisfield Primary School, Bendigo Special Developmental School, Preshil School, Larapinta Primary School, Alice Springs, Hazelwood Special Education School, Hobart, Northern Support School-St Georges, Launceston and Lihir International School, PNG.

Community Events

Workshops for parents about music education at health care and child care centres

Family Music Events including many 'Parents for Music' conferences and festivals, family dances, Brunswick Children’s Festival and the Port Fairy Folk Festival, FEIP in the City Square,

libraries etc

TV & Radio Appearances

1989 - Appeared on the Ernie Sigley Morning Show to perform 'Dreamflight' written after working with children from the Variety club.

1993 Appeared on 'Healthy Wealthy and Wise' working with children at the Victorian College of the Arts

1994 - Appeared on 'Healthy Wealthy and Wise' as children's entertainers

2006 – 774 radio – interviewed by Lindy Burns about the NRSME

Performances & Presentations - for adults and children.

Prior to 1992, as a vocalist and keyboard player, Susie had performed regularly at ‘Jazz After Dark’ and ‘Friday at Five’ at the Victorian Arts Centre as well as many venues such as the Hilton, Regent and Windsor Hotels.

In 1989 Susie and Phil joined the Dreamflight Variety Club project entertaining hundreds of

disabled and disadvantaged children on a trip to Queensland then proceeded to perform at the
Variety Club Christmas Concerts for children with disabilities later in 89 and also 90 & 91.

Since 1992, Susie and Phil have performed as a duo at various festivals and venues. They have performed with the Young Voices of Melbourne Choir, the National Children’s choir of Australia at concerts at the Glen Eira Town Hall and Chapel off Chapel as well as for senior citizens in nursing homes.

Susie and Phil also work as Speakers, Conference Energisers and Performers in the corporate and

education market sectors and have given keynote addresses at conferences (Jells Park School 05,

Calamvale College Qld 07, Music Teacher’s Conference in Cairns 08).

In November 2009, Susie and Phil hosted 10 children's concerts with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at the

Iwaki Auditorium in Southbank, Melbourne as part of their 'Classic Kids' program.