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With her rich voice, encouraging messages and catchy originals, Australian singer-songwriter, guitar and piano player Carmel Charlton paints her musical pictures using images of Australia, its people and places.  She tours extensively presenting concerts at schools and festivals. You can now check out some of Carmel’s Award winning and most requested songs. 

You may like to view Carmel's video clip of  'Horses Coming Home'.  

In 1914 a small boy saw soldiers and horses go by train to Albany, Western Australia.  The convoys took 160,000 horses to the first World War.  Only one returned.  Due to quarantine regulations they were either put down or left behind.  The boy was Frank Smith.  He wrote a poem.  He gave Carmel his poem that she set to music. 

Carmel launched her new music resource recently for Primary Schools at Perth Modern School.  The resource entitled ‘Out of This World’ is an exciting collection of 16 catchy original songs that were composed to entertain and educate children of our history and heritage, health, precious resources, unique fauna, environment and citizenship/values.

The pack contains a double disc - Vocal CD and an instrumental (backing) CD plus teacher’s manual that contains sheet music, guitar chords and word sheets.  All songs encourage active participation and there is a list of suggestions for use, including actions, discussion points and accompaniment for children on percussive instruments.

Songs include:  We Don't Smoke, Water More Precious than Gold, C. Y. O’Connor I Wish You Were Here, Respect,  and Out of This World, (looking back at and appreciating our beautiful planet from outer space) Up Down South (about the wonderful Noongar place names ending with 'up' in South West WA) Irish Blessing, Numbat (W.A's mammal emblem) and the moving Anzac Day song Horses Coming Home.

Carmel has produced 7 CD’s including ‘Precious Water’ for the Western Australian Water Corporation to educate children on the value of water in their ‘Waterwise’ schools program.  The sheet music for her songs are also included in the Waterwise schools education booklets. She is regularly commissioned to compose songs for schools and special events. 
                                                                  
Comments from teachers
Your songs are delightful and very catchy. The children love singing “Numbat” and have learnt so much about this endangered marsupial because of your song. They even went onto the internet and found information about numbats and wrote it out for me to display in the music room.

“Water in Our Lives” is another inspirational song and is helping the students to appreciate the value of our precious water. This is a song that lends itself to students doing solos, both singing and talking, and it allows the children to be creative. 

I was so excited to hear your delightful songs and couldn’t wait to teach them to the choir. Both of these songs are being used for the Performing Arts Festival for Catholic Schools in Term Three. They have been both easy songs to teach and also very educational for the children.

Can’t wait to receive more of your songs to teach to the children. Suzie Giannasi - Currambine Catholic Primary School 

We have been investigating space over the term so the obvious topic for our assembly was space.  As soon as the children heard ‘Out of This World’ they voted unanimously to use it.  It is a beautiful song which was easy both in tune and words for the children to pick up and run with.  If I had only one sentence to describe my feelings as they performed your song I would have to say they were ‘Out of This World’.  Gail Westlund – Woodlands Primary School 

I am loving the songs Carmel.  My kids are singing Christmas in Australia every day.  They love it.  Well done.  Jenny Pederick - Harmony Primary School, Atwell

Your song about CY O’Connor is fabulous, and it was a real honour and pleasure to work with you. Julie Doyle – Music Specialist - Holy Spirit School, City Beach

For more information please email carmel@carmelcharlton.com or visit www.carmelcharlton.com to listen to music clips of songs. 

Carmel's invites you to listen to Whispers on the Wind with the poignant reminder to make the most of each day. Up, Down South is a song about some of the unique place names found in Western Australia.  Listen to the thoughtful Special Gift and the tongue in cheek Goodbye Beethoven.  These tracks are included on Carmel’s CD Whispers on the Wind

Out of This World, Up Down South, Precious Water and You are Special  are a Society and Environment interactive workshops that Carmel presents at school and festivals.  Through stories and songs she shares her knowledge of Australia's wonderful heritage, environment, precious resources and native wildlife.

View the video clip of her song Horses Coming Home which was shown on ABC TV on Anzac Day.  It is a moving tribute to the soldiers and horses of World War 1.

You can be assured that there will be a lot of audience participation wherever Carmel entertains, whether it’s at festivals, schools or community venues.