Make Music Day, the worldwide festival of making music held annually on the summer solstice, today announced the return of its vast program with over 5,000 live, free music-making events across the United States on Friday, June 21.
Launched in France in 1982 as the Fête de la Musique, Make Music Day has become a global phenomenon, celebrated by millions of people in more than 2,000 cities around the world, including 154 cities in the U.S., where it has spread widely after debuting in New York in 2007. Held on the longest day of the year, the world’s largest annual music event celebrates and promotes the natural music maker in everyone, regardless of age or skill level.
Last year, 117 U.S. cities organized 4,791 free Make Music events on June 21, with more than 100 concerts each in Cincinnati, Philadelphia, New York, Madison, Wisconsin and Salem, Oregon. In 2024, another 50 U.S. communities will join Make Music Day for the first time. New Jersey is launching new Make Music Day initiatives in Englewood, Newark, Ocean City, and Paterson, sponsored by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority; Wisconsin has grown to encompass 24 Make Music chapters throughout the state; Connecticut oversees 14 citywide celebrations supported by the CT Office of the Arts; North Carolina, through the North Carolina Arts Council, has initiated new chapters in 13 counties; and Texas, through its Music Friendly Texas initiative, will feature 14 celebrations, from Laredo to Dallas. Other cities like Orlando, Tallahassee, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City are also beginning this year, bringing the total to more than 150 Make Music celebrations across the country, and over 2,000 around the world.
Completely different from a traditional music festival, Make Music Day activities are free and open to anyone wanting to participate. Reimagining their cities and towns as stages, every kind of musician — young and old, amateur, and professional, of every musical persuasion — fills streets, parks, plazas, porches, rooftops, gardens, and other public spaces to celebrate, create and share their music with friends, neighbors, and strangers.
Make Music Day is presented in the U.S. by the NAMM Foundation. “We are thrilled with the continued growth of our Make Music Day partnership that celebrates the joy of making music worldwide,” said John Mlynczak, NAMM president and CEO. “The collaborative efforts of NAMM member companies and local partnerships all over the globe reach hundreds of thousands of music makers and deliver an amplified message that creating music is a precious element of daily living that unites communities around the world.”
Among the many thousands of grassroots music events on June 21, opportunities for everyone to participate will abound.
In a collaboration announced last month with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and music technology company MakeMusic Inc., school and community bands across all 50 states will premiere the new piece Earthgroove by renowned composer Randall Standridge in free, public concerts. In the spirit of Make Music Day, the piece is radically inclusive, with optional parts to accommodate any kind of school musician. The music will be provided to each participating band at no cost, available as a PDF download or on the MakeMusic Cloud platform.
In Milwaukee, Make Music Day will feature the world premiere of Baby You, a public art event commissioned by the Przekrój Foundation of Warsaw, Poland, in which a massive 112-foot long hot air balloon in the shape of a sleeping newborn will be inflated and rise on the shore of Lake Michigan, accompanied by a new a cappella choral work by composer Michael Schachter for hundreds of amateur singers.
And in a returning global highlight, Make Music, Make Friends will connect 60 classes of school children aged 7-13 from Australia, Germany, Ghana, Mexico, Pakistan, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, U.K., and the U.S. on Make Music Day. Classes from each country will create musical greeting videos and share them with students from other countries. The students will watch the musical messages on June 21 and gain exposure to different regions and cultures.
Other national highlights of Make Music Day 2024 will include:
Flowerpot Music — For the fifth year, participants around the country will be invited to perform a composition by celebrated composer Elliot Cole and directed by percussionist Peter Ferry using an unlikely but beautiful percussion instrument: the flowerpot. Appropriate for musicians and non-musicians alike, participants can join a group and create outdoor soundscapes through easy-to-learn games.
Mass Appeal — People of all ages and skill levels will band together to make music in large, single-instrument groups. This year, leading music brands such as Hohner, Rhythm Band Instruments, and Vic Firth are donating thousands of free instruments so that any member of the public can stop by these events and join the band.
#MySongIsYourSong — Songwriters and composers of all styles and walks of life will join in a global song swap where they will learn a song by another artist and hear theirs covered in return.
Roomful of Pianos — Roomful of Pianos was originally featured at The NAMM Show in Anaheim, California, bringing spectacular performances of music arranged for 10 pianos, 20 pianos, or even 40 pianos to the show’s music industry attendees. Inspired by the NAMM Show experience, more than a dozen piano dealers and music schools are now bringing Roomfuls of Pianos across the country for Make Music Day, creating personalized colossal piano events for each local piano community.
Sousapalooza — In multiple cities, large groups of brass and wind musicians will assemble in parks and plazas to play the music of “March King” John Philip Sousa. Anyone is invited to download the music, bring their horn, and join the band.
Stridulations — For the second year, Make Music Day will feature “Stridulations for the Good Luck Feast,” a set of interlocking rhythmic pieces by Billy Martin (of Medeski Martin & Wood) that anyone can join, whether or not they read music. Following an ingenious system of Xs and dots, participants can sing rhythmic patterns or play them on any instrument, locking together like a samba band, or stretching out to sound like crickets calling to each other across a field. (The word “stridulations” refers to the sound that crickets make. The project will be especially relevant in the U.S. this year, when another singing insect, the periodic cicada, will emerge from Brood XIII and Brood XIX simultaneously for the first time in 221 years.)
String Together — One of the best and easiest ways to improve the sound of your guitar is putting on a fresh set of strings. For Make Music Day, dozens of music retailers are hosting a free string-changing session that comes with a free set of acoustic guitar strings from Elixir Strings (for the first 12 registrants at each store). All are welcome, from complete newbies who have never changed their strings, to more experienced players looking for a few tips from a pro guitar tech.
City-specific highlights around the U.S. will include:
Aberdeen (WA): In the hometown of Kurt Cobain, Aberdeen’s Make Music Day will feature a flash mob performance of Nirvana’s song “Come As You Are,” along with performances by local musicians, from amateurs to Hall of Fame guitarist Roger Fisher from Heart.
Fair Lawn (NJ): A unique “Mobile Car-aoke” offers the public the chance to live out their rockstar dreams by singing their favorite song in a karaoke-style setup right from the comfort of their own vehicle, and win prizes.
Macon (GA): Dr. Seuss will be on the loose at a “Green Eggs and Ham Open Mic Jam” at Riverside Branch Library.
Madison (WI): A “Flamenco Flamingo” performance will present flamenco dancers accompanied by live guitar on the State Street pedestrian mall, and the audience is encouraged to dress like flamingos.
New York (NY): The 18th annual Make Music New York features new projects like composer/conductor Matt Lavelle’s monumental “12 Houses: 100 Musicians for Peace & Unity” in Astoria Park, and the musical theater showcase “Broadway @ Bella Abzug” in Hell’s Kitchen – along with returning favorites, including: the newest version of Improv Everywhere’s audio adventure “The Mp3 Experiment Nineteen” from Pier 84 at Hudson River Park; the “Plaza by Plaza” series presented with a variety of community partners across all five boroughs; and the 11th annual Porch Stomp! featuring 100+ bluegrass and old-time musicians on Governors Island on the special date of June 15.
Palm Beach County (FL): Singers from Masterworks Chorus, the Choral Society of the Palm Beaches, the Ebony Chorale and the Young Singer of the Palm Beaches will combine forces for a large “interactive sing.”
Philadelphia (PA): Over 75 different musical instruments will be available to try out at an afternoon “Musical Instrument Petting Zoo” at Shakespeare Park, in partnership with the Free Library of Philadelphia and Keep Music Alive.
All Make Music Day events are free and open to the public. Participants who wish to perform, or host musical events, may register at www.makemusicday.org. A full schedule of events will be posted on the website in early June.
Make Music Day is presented in the U.S. by The NAMM Foundation and coordinated by the nonprofit Make Music Alliance. The official hashtag is #MakeMusicDay.
Make Music Day 2024 will take place in the following states and cities:
Alabama: Decatur, Florence, Gulf Shores, Huntsville, Mobile; Arizona: Phoenix; California: Anaheim, Auburn, Big Bear, Claremont, Fresno, Fullerton, Los Angeles, Oakland, Orange, San Diego, San Jose, Topanga;Colorado: Denver; Connecticut: Bethel, Bridgeport, Danbury, Fairfield, Hebron, Middletown, New Canaan, New Haven, Northwest CT, Norwalk, Ridgefield, Southbury, Southeast CT, Waterbury; Florida: Miami, Orlando, Palm Beach, Tallahassee; Georgia: Atlanta, Macon; Illinois: Chicago, Wheaton; Hawai’i: statewide; Indiana: Indianapolis; Massachusetts: Boston; Michigan: Albion, Ann Arbor, Lansing; Minnesota: Hastings; Missouri: Columbia, Kansas City, Liberty, Neosho, Rolla, Springfield, St. Louis; North Carolina: Bertie County, Brunswick County, Catawba County, Kinston, McDowell County, Raleigh, Stanly County, Statesville, Stokes County, Surry County, Vance County, Wilmington, Winston-Salem; New Jersey: Englewood, Fair Lawn, Montclair, Newark, Ocean City, Paterson; New York: Albany, Auburn, Central NY, Huntington, New York City, Ossining, Poughkeepsie, Troy, Yonkers; Ohio: Avon Lake, Cincinnati, Darke County, Lakewood; Oklahoma: Muskogee; Oregon: Clatsop County, McMinnville, Polk County, Salem; Pennsylvania: Easton, Lancaster, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, York County; South Carolina: Columbia; Tennessee: Chattanooga, Germantown, Nashville; Texas: College Station, Dallas, Denton, Frisco, Houston, Hutto, Laredo, Round Rock, Salado, San Antonio, San Marcos, Sugar Land, Tyler, Waxahachie; Utah: Salt Lake City, Utah County; Vermont: statewide; Washington: Aberdeen, Gig Harbor, Issaquah, Seattle; Wisconsin: Appleton, Barron, Beloit, Cambridge, Chequamegon Bay, DeForest, Eau Claire, Green Bay, Kenosha, La Crosse, Land O’ Lakes, Madison, Marshfield, Middleton, Milwaukee, Monona, Oshkosh, Platteville, Shell Lake-Spooner, Sparta, Stevens Point, Superior, Waunakee.
