June 28, 2024
Make Music Day – thank you!
Congratulations to all who took part in last month’s Make Music Day!
Over 5,000 music-making events took place in the U.S. on June 21, along with performances by thousands more musicians in countries around the world who celebrated the day.
Check out 235 press clips about Make Music Day 2024, from media outlets in 70 U.S. cities, to learn about events you may have missed!
June 28, 2024
Thank you to our national sponsors!
June 28, 2024
Levitt: making music all summer long
Thank you to the Levitt Foundation for supporting Make Music Day!
We love Levitt’s mission, which is to strengthen the social fabric of America through the power of free, live music. In 2024, Levitt is supporting nonprofits in 45 communities coast to coast to present 650+ free outdoor concerts, attracting people of all ages and backgrounds and fostering more equitable, healthy, and thriving communities.
Learn more at levitt.org.
June 28, 2024
Global Video Highlights
#Pulsations united artists from 24 countries in an international rhythmic relay, sponsored by Harman, in honor of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Watch the Full Playlist
Make Music, Make Friends connected school children from Australia, Germany, Ghana, Mexico, Pakistan, South Africa, Turkey, U.K., and the U.S. on Make Music Day, sharing videos of their performances with each other. Watch the Full Playlist
#MySongIsYourSong invited songwriters from around the world to learn a song by another artist, and hear theirs covered in return. Watch the Full Playlist
June 20, 2024
Mass Appeal: Harmonicas
Once again we spotlight Mass Appeal, the 16-year Make Music Day tradition that brings together people of all levels and ages to make music in large, single-instrument groups.
And year after year, no Mass Appeal instrument has been more popular than the harmonica. Tomorrow, for the twelfth straight year, leading harmonica brand Hohner is generously providing over 2,000 free Blues Band harps for Make Music Day events in 61 cities, allowing countless first-time players to start developing the skills to make music throughout the year.
Thank you, Hohner!
June 20, 2024
Mass Appeal: Floor Pianos
Makey Makey joins Make Music Day for the 3rd time in 2024. Using this circuit board, plugged into a computer, performers of all levels can turn everyday objects into touchpads and use them to make music.
This year, Makey Makey is donating kits to seven Make Music chapters and helping them make homemade giant floor pianos on June 21.
Thank you, Makey Makey!
June 20, 2024
Make Music State of the Week: New Jersey
After eleven years of celebration by Make Music Montclair, the rest of New Jersey is coming to the Make Music party!
This year, with support from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, you’ll be able to check out the musical takeover of a Paterson shopping mall, mobile “Car-aoke” in Fair Lawn, the NJ Youth Jazz Orchestra in Englewood, a “Midtown Make Music Day” in Atlantic City, an Open Decks DJ session in Newark, and over 75 performances at 30 venues in Montclair.
More about Make Music New Jersey
June 17, 2024
Mass Appeal: Bucket Drumming
Mass Appeal, a 16-year Make Music Day tradition, brings together people of all levels and ages to make music in large, single-instrument groups.
This year, among the 186 Mass Appeals taking place around the country, there are an incredible 65 bucket drumming sessions. The events are supported by PlayDrums.com and by Vic Firth, who has generously donated thousands of free drumsticks for participants to use and keep.
These events will range from structured classes to free-flowing bucket drumming circles, according to the concept of each local organizer. To take part, all you need is a beat in your heart… and a pair of sticks.
Thank you, Vic Firth!
June 17, 2024
Mass Appeal: Hand Percussion
Not to be outdone, Rhythm Band Instruments, makers of the pitched hollow plastic tubes called Boomwhackers®, is donating percussion kits to 48 communities for participatory Mass Appeal percussion events – over 1,500 instruments in all, with a variety of Boomwhackers, egg shakers, and rhythm sticks to make music accessible to everyone.
Thank you, Rhythm Band Instruments!
June 17, 2024
Flowerpot Music
Music on June 21 can come from anyone, anywhere, and just about anything.
As if to prove the point, celebrated composer Elliot Cole and percussionist Peter Ferry are once again organizing a series of music especially for Make Music Day, featuring an unlikely but beautiful percussion instrument – the flowerpot!
This year, eleven groups around the U.S. will come out to parks, fields, and plazas to perform Flowerpot Music, a set of easy-to-learn musical games. Anyone can join the events and make a great sound on a flowerpot – no experience required.
Find Flowerpot Music near you!