NEXT week, there'll be the race that stops the nation, but on Thursday, students from five to 18 years old sang the song that stops the nation.
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Hundreds of local kids were among the half a million students who joined the chorus of the same song, at the same time as part of Music: Count Us In.
This year's event was significant to the Hastings as Wauchope's award-winning singer/songwriter Angus Gill was one of the co-writers of "Paint you a Song".
Rather than leading classmates at St Columba Anglican School, the teenager was invited to singalong at Darling Harbour.
His younger brother, who attends Wauchope Public School, also joined the event from a vocal workshop at Tacking Point Public School - and cheered Angus on via live webcast.
Local schools to get involved included: Telegraph Point Public School; Laurieton Public School; Hastings Public School; St Columba Anglican School; Tacking Point Public School; Hastings Public School; Wauchope Public School and; Beechwood Public School.
St Columba primary students had been rehearsing the song for several months and working with the school band and orchestra - including a kindergarten and year two student - for the special ensemble.
'Paint you a song' was a seven-way collaboration involving Angus, four other high school students and superstar mentors Harry Angus, from The Cat Empire, and musical director John Foreman.
Music: Count Us In has been growing in reach and impact since 2007, with 2,100 schools taking part this year.
As an extension of Thursday's annual event, Tacking Point Public School also hosted a vocal workshop with Sydney singer Simon Masterton for 45 boys from across the north coast.
Training included vocal techniques such as blending, improvising and building a vocal orchestra, as well as modern styles like beat boxing.
