The annual worldwide celebration of all things music, Make Music Day, is returning on June 21st. The all-day celebration, which started in France in the 1980s, will feature over 4,000 free concerts, music lessons, and jam sessions in the U.S., and even more when considering the events planned outside the United States. The day seeks to engage all people, regardless of age, experience, or background, in the positivity and pleasure of making music. Thus far, two states, Vermont and Rhode Island, and 50 major American cities have announced major celebrations in honor of the day including New York City, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Madison, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Portland (OR), St. Louis, San Jose, and Seattle.
In Atlanta, Chattanooga, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York, and Philly, DJs and producers will create collaborative, original music with strangers, as they bring their gear out into public for Street Studios. In New York City and Los Angeles, Ella Fitzgerald will be honored with special pop-up piano bars. In a handful of cities, hundreds of brass and wind musicians will take to the streets together for Sousapaloozas as a tribute to John Philip Sousa. Similarly, Mass Appeals, in which a number of musicians all playing the same instrument march the streets together, are scheduled for across the country. This is just a small sampling of the events that will be going down across the country.
The event is presented by The NAMM Foundation and coordinated by the nonprofit Make Music Alliance. You can find out more about Make Music Day on the event’s website as well as check to see if any cool free events are going down in your area. You can also check out a video of last year’s Make Music Day celebration in Auburn, AL, when 850 musicians gathered to sing “Sweet Home Alabama” together.
[Video courtesy of Susan W]