TVNZ Classic God Defends NZ begins each day in my classroom

I want to tell everyone about something amazing and very patriotic that I have been doing with my delightful class of Year 3 and 4 students the past three weeks. Each morning 5 minutes before the morning bell for the start of the day goes, I play this classic TVNZ National anthem from days gone by . It tells my students that the day will shortly begin.
Their response has been simply amazing! After literally less than 2 minutes in, nearly all students are sitting beautifully in the mat space, and singing too. I'm also singing and often conducting them. At the end of the anthem they all come in perfectly on the word God (there is a tricky delay to navigate here so a great achievement you listen to this version) and all are great at holding the last note.
Then we do the roll and sing a waiata. It's a great start to every day and great to support our awesome country.
Perhaps you might try this too one morning...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W81CQ891Bo0&feature=youtu.be

These are the comments I have received...

• Laura Pomfrett I love this. Best way to start the day. What a beautiful routine for everybody. And singing is the best way to welcome
  In the day with positive energy 🎵

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    Mark Lorenzen Laura Pomfrett so agree... its changed everything. It's just beautiful

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    Laura Pomfrett I love that you have done this just before the bell too. A lovely non verbal gentle invitation for everyone to gather as a team for the day. Beautiful.

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  Amanda Bailey Love, love, love this! Our national anthem is awesome. A great idea. I might just use this myself!

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  Sándor Tóth What genre are national anthems?............. Country music, lol 🪕 🤠

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  Melanie Dorrian Cool idea.

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    Mark Lorenzen Melanie Dorrian thank you!

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  Ange McWilliam I remember this version when it first came out. Loved it then and still love it now 😊

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    Janine Fiebig Ange, I concur 👍

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  Alison Collier Love that version

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  Nigel Dodge When I was single cell we sung this everyday.

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    Mark Lorenzen Nigel Dodge why did you stop

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    Nigel Dodge Mark Lorenzen didn't work doing it in MLE

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  Leanne Jolly Cool idea! Thanks for sharing. I'm going to do this tomorrow!

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  Jo-Ann O'Loughlin What a great idea. Thanks for sharing.

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  Maria Lyne Anna Mariae Anne-Marie
  Great way to start the day, or transition.

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  Frances Kitzen We start each day with the whole school with a karakia
  Then followed by either the National Anthem or He Eke Noa or He Honore.
  This is done at 9.15 through the school speakers system. …See more

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  Wendy Single How can you not for grateful to live in this beautiful country after watching that!

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  Rochelle Pamich Wow! Such a lovely way to start the morning

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  Rachel Tetley-Jones Anna-sofia Williams cool idea!

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    Anna-sofia Williams Rachel Tetley-Jones yes. I really like this

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  Margi Leech Beautiful in every way! I’d love to be in your class! 👏😄🤲👍

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    Mark Lorenzen Margi Leech ah thank you. I'd love to have you do numicon for me!

    
    

    ann clegg

    Fri, Jul 3, 10:32 AM (2 days ago)

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    Mark - what an amazing version.  I think it might have been produced by a proud South Islander.  Good on you - Ann
  • Helena Stretton

    Fri, Jul 3, 1:22 AM (2 days ago)

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    I love it Mark!  In fact it brought tears to my eyes pretty quickly, and I realise how much Kiwi there is in me ( after all I have spent 1/2 my life in NZ.)   It is a wonderful song... a prayer to God really... and a wonderful tune. It is fantastic that it has such a positively powerful effect on your students and they will know the song for life now.  Good on you for experimenting in this way and setting such an exhilarating beginning of participation and solidarity for each day.

    Thanks so much for sharing it.    Can you sing the Maori version off by heart too? And what about the kids? By the end of the year they will be able to I'd think.

    
    

    PS the pictures are very muted, soft and unfocused...I guess intentionally, so as to concentrate on the words but the country is so spectacular in its scenery I feel I'd like to focus and brighten them up a little. What do you think?

    The music though is magnificent and that static singing of the word God at the end is just brilliant. Sometime you should record your kids singing along with the orchestra and soloists  too.... make a DVD of them singing it (their photo obvious in the group on the cover which has them all sitting on the mat, and that they can all give to their parents as a special Christmas gift or something. Probably copyright would prevent you doing such though.