June 3, 2019
Make Music Artist of the Week: Eric Whitacre
For the last decade, composer and conductor Eric Whitacre has been bringing people together through ground-breaking Virtual Choirs, uniting singers from over 120 different countries.
So it is only fitting that he joins Make Music Day this year as one of our Ambassadors. “Make Music Day cuts through social and economic barriers and brings us together using all musical genres,” he says. “Sing in your choir, play in your band, jam with people you’ve never met before or play found instruments in unusual spaces. Join the world community of musicians and feel the extraordinary connection between us.”
On June 21, a pick-up chorus of New Yorkers will take Whitacre’s advice to heart, and sing his “Water Night” from dozens of boats on Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal. Check out the Make Music New York website for full details!
June 3, 2019
Gargantuan Guitar Gatherings
In partnership for the third year, C. F. Martin & Co. (Martin Guitar) and Alfred Music invite guitarists everywhere to join an epic, nationwide Mass Appeal project on June 21.
Mass Appeal brings together thousands of musicians – of all levels and ages – to make music in large, single-instrument groups. Around the country, guitarists of all levels will gather to play six classic songs and make music together. Free songbooks will be distributed so that everyone can play along.
Our songbook this year pays tribute to the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, featuring Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock,” “Blue Moon” (performed at Woodstock by Sha Na Na), “I’m Coming Home” (performed at Woodstock by Ten Years After), and two more hits of the era, “She’s Not There” and “I Can See Clearly Now.” We close with “Singing In The Rain,” as many did on the rainy weekend of August 15, 1969 in Bethel, NY.
Interested in leading a Mass Appeal Guitar event in your town? Email us for details!
May 29, 2019
Make Music State of the Week: Connecticut
This year on Make Music Day, the Nutmeg State stands alone.
Thanks to support from the Connecticut Office of the Arts, eighteen chapters have formed to organize Make Music Connecticut, the most of any state!
Well over 500 free musical events are planned, including 20 participatory activities in Hartford ranging from a hip hop lyric workshop to a gathering of upright basses; an impromptu street piano performance by Jon Batiste in Ridgefield; a morning drum circle in New Haven; over 100 performances in Southeastern Connecticut and another 50+ in Waterbury; a Street Studio in Stamford Downtown; and inaugural Make Music Day programs in Danbury, East Granby, Greenwich, Hebron, Norwalk, and Woodbury (who made a wonderful video trailer).
See the full list at makemusicCT.org!
May 29, 2019
Street Studio Cities
For the past four years on June 21st, small mobile recording studios have magically appeared on sidewalks in cities across the world.
These Street Studio Cities, organized with Found Sound Nation, bring world-class DJs and producers onto the streets for Make Music Day. Thanks to Harman, the official sound of Make Music Day Street Studios, producers will set up tables with AKG mics, JBL speakers, and a variety of instruments in ten international cities – including Budapest, Munich, Querétero, and Moscow – and invite passersby to join in a completely improvised music creation session. At the end of the day, each producer will mix down one track, using only the material recorded on-site, to share the sounds of their city with the world.
Are you a producer? We invite you to bring your gear outside on Make Music Day, and add your city to the mix! For more details, download Found Sound Nation’s Street Studio Field Guide (pdf), then send us an email if you are interested.
May 29, 2019
How to Make Make Music Day Yours
Are you leading a Make Music Day event, but not sure what to do or how to get the word out?
Fear not – we have extensive materials that are ready for you to download and use, including a toolkit (updated for 2019) with event ideas and sample press releases, logos, pre-made digital assets, photos, videos and more.
It’s all in the Media Resources section of our website. Feel free to use any and all!
And if you are in a city with a local Make Music chapter, you are in luck – once you’ve made plans on your city’s matchmaking site, your local chapter will be your promotional partner.
(Having trouble with the matchmaking site? Try logging back in and going through your profile to make sure it is complete!)
May 29, 2019
Global Streaming Video
On June 21, music rings out simultaneously across more than 120 countries. Whether you are beneath a skyscraper in Beijing or along the shore of a small Greek fishing village, you will find people making music.
This year, the Make Music Alliance is organizing a day-long video stream on June 21 showing the rich diversity of live Make Music Day events around the world. Dozens of cultural institutions are setting up public projections, showing musical events live from Argentina, Australia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, the United States, and more.
Visit our live streaming page for more details, and then sign up to host a public screening or to add your music to the stream!
April 2, 2019
Make Music City of the Week: Nicosia
The Republic of Cyprus joins Make Music Day in 2019 with a special program in Nicosia, led by ARTio Music.
Throughout the old city, located within the 16th century Venetian walls, a series of walking tours on June 21 will guide participants through 20+ interactive musical activities, showing off the local musical culture as well as the history of this ancient capital.
Check out their website to learn more!
April 2, 2019
Bands Undercover
Does your band want to try something new this Make Music Day?
On June 21, bands around the world will take to the streets to cover each other’s music, and live stream their performances to each other in a unique musical conversation called Bands Undercover.
All creators of original music are welcome to join – from solo singer-songwriters and electronic music producers, to metal bands, brass ensembles, choirs and folk singers. The only requirement is that you write original music of your own, and that you’re excited about covering someone else’s!
Register by April 15th at makemusicday.org/bu-register, and we will pair you with another band from across the country – or around the world – to embark on a collaborative musical adventure.
April 2, 2019
Make Music Now in 80+ U.S. Cities
From accordion players to zitherists, musicians across the country will join forces on Friday June 21 for Make Music Day, the world’s largest annual music event.
In 2019, over 80 U.S. cities are celebrating Make Music Day on a large scale. New Make Music chapters have launched this year in Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Washington State, bringing the holiday to even more of the country, and joining over 1,000 international Make Music cities.
Check out the preview from Rolling Stone, and then find a celebration near you!
February 14, 2019
Reflecting on Make Music Day Winter and Planning Ahead!
In mid-February we reflect back on the events of Make Music Winter 2018 as cities begin to plan for Make Music Day 2019!