May 29, 2026
Make Music Champions: Class of 2026
We’re excited to announce our 2026 roster of Make Music Champions – ten talented artists from around the country who joined Make Music Day last year, and who love to share their passion for music all year long.
On our blog, you’ll find interviews with each new Champion: Adryelle, David Francisco, Dria Thornton, Gemenereida, Grimiss, Jacob Khalil, Jake Schmidt, Lucas Tecson, Simmerr, and Vivienne Aerts (one of this year’s circle singing leaders). Stay tuned for news about their June 21st collaborations!
May 29, 2026
Circle Singing Returns
On Make Music Day, you don’t have to have a band – or even an instrument – to be part of the music-making.
For the second year, we’re thrilled to partner with the Cheswatyr Foundation on a series of circle singing events across the country. A practice popularized by renowned vocalist Bobby McFerrin, circle singing is a vocal experience without sheet music or advance preparation, inviting everyone to join in and add layers of sound and rhythm as the spirit moves them.
Singers in New York City will gather in resonant spaces within three landmark parks (Prospect Park, Central Park, and the High Line) while other experienced facilitators will lead circle singing events in Chattanooga TN, Grand Rapids MI, Montclair NJ, Muskogee OK, Phoenix AZ, and more to be announced.
See the Circle Singing schedule
May 27, 2026
Champions: Dria Thornton Talks 90s R&B, Songwriting, and Houston’s Music Culture
In this interview, we talk with Dria Thornton, a Houston-based R&B and hip hop artist whose music combines raw vocals, vulnerable storytelling, and strong ’90s influences. Dria reflects on the artists who shaped her sound, the importance of authenticity in songwriting, and how Houston’s music culture helped define her identity as an artist. She also shares insights into her work writing for TV and film, collaborating with other creatives, and creating platforms that support women in Houston’s R&B scene.
You blend R&B and hip hop in a really unique way. How would you describe your sound to someone hearing your music for the first time?
I think what you just said. It’s a blend of R&B and hip hop. I have a little bit of a ’90s influence in what I do, both in the R&B and hip hop side, because that’s the era I grew up in. So it’s like a blend of ’90s R&B and hip hop.
Who are some of the artists or influences that you think helped shape your sound?
Definitely Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Monica, Boyz II Men, India Arie, Beyoncé, and Brandy.
And what are some artists today that you feel are close to what you’re doing creatively?
I love Ella Mai. Ella Mai is really someone I connect with because she’s very raw vocally and lyrically vulnerable, and that’s really where I sit. It’s not really about the genre, it’s about the lyrics, the storytelling, and the raw vocals. I’d also say Coco Jones, Ari Lennox, Mahalia from London, and Tiana Major9. Those are artists who are close to what I’m doing and trying to do.
You’ve worked on a lot of successful music projects throughout your career. What has that journey been like for you as a songwriter and artist?
It’s allowed me to really dive deeper into my craft. Working with so many different people allows me to hear their stories and hear their perspectives. It helps me get to know somebody I don’t know and shape that into a story they want to tell. That’s a real skill and something I’ve really worked on for years. It also makes it easier for me as an artist to write from a truthful space.
I checked out some of your music on Spotify. It’s great. You have millions of streams there. Was there a moment where you felt things really started taking off?
Yeah, actually there were two moments. The first was with the first song I had that did really well, which was “Baby I Got You.” One of my best friends is Serena Williams, so that gave me a bit of a leg up. She helped promote the song through a campaign she did, and it started spreading like wildfire. That’s when I realized my music just needed to be presented to more people in order for it to really take off. Then recently, over the last couple of years, I partnered with an influencer named Westfall, he’s out of California. We started doing music together, writing together, and performing together. His fan base connected with mine, and my streams have gone through the roof. I’m at around 40,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and he’s at around 700,000. Partnering with an influencer while also making genuinely good music has really helped expand my audience.
What exactly is your role in your music? I know you write your songs and lyrics. Are you also involved in production?
A very small part of it. I usually work with my partner, Chris the F.R. He handles most of the production side, from mixing and mastering to engineering and all of that. I’m really focused on the writing, the lyrics, the background vocals, and a lot of the vocal arrangement. More of the creative production side of the song, but not the physical production.
Onto a few Make Music Day questions. How did you first hear about Make Music Day? You participated in Make Music Houston last year, right?
Yes, I did. I found out about it because I’m also an advocate. I’m a creative, but I’m also a creator advocate. I serve on the City of Houston’s Music Advisory Board. The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs used to organize the Make Music Day activities across the city, but then it transitioned over to Fresh Arts. One of my fellow board members is actually at Fresh Arts, and she suggested I do the opening-day performance for their first year running Make Music Day last year. It was a really great opportunity. We had city officials come out and support creatives in the city, and that was really fun.
How would you compare a Make Music Day performance to a regular gig?
I think having the title “Make Music Day” really sets the tone for the purpose behind it. It creates awareness throughout the city and gives people an opportunity to discover you who may not normally come to your gigs or know about your music. Make Music Day creates a public opportunity and awareness that you don’t normally get.
Houston has such a strong music culture. How do you think your city has influenced you as an artist?
Big time. That’s part of the hip hop side of me. My college years in Houston were during a time when hip hop was really taking off here. The chopped and screwed style, the culture, the artists, it was all so new and exciting to me. I also grew up in California, so I have this combination of softness and roughness, classy and fiery. I like that combination because that’s really who I am. It allows me to be truthful and show the raw side of myself.
And what’s next for you? Any upcoming music, performances, or projects you’re excited about?
I’m really excited about the project I have out right now. It’s a full R&B project called When It Comes to Love, which I released back in December. It’s still pretty new, and I’m excited by how people are responding to it. There are a few songs that people consistently praise. I also have a platform I created called Women to Watch: R&B Storytellers of Houston. That’s a platform I created last year that offers other R&B female artists in Houston more visibility so the city can support and champion them. A lot of artists leave the city really and go somewhere else to perform when the city doesn’t know about them yet. This is a platform for them to build their city community around them. That’s coming up June 10th at the Foundation Room, and I’m really excited about it. I’m also always working on new music. I do custom music for TV and film with multiple large music libraries, and I’m constantly getting placements in television, film, and sports. I also do work with Serena Williams on some of her campaigns and for the theme song of her and Venus’ podcast. That’s me on their Stockton Street podcast. I’m always doing custom work, doing recording for myself, and performing, because that’s my number one thing.
Finally, what advice would you give to young artists trying to build their own path in music?
I’m going to say what the legendary Quincy Jones told me: “Don’t try to reinvent the wheel.” Follow what successful people before you have done, apply it to what you do, and make it unique to yourself. Whether it’s writing, performing, creating a tour, promoting yourself, or making an album, you have resources and examples from people who’ve done it successfully. Take those and tie them into what you want to do. And it’ll really be a really unique experience in business. Stay dedicated.
May 15, 2026
The Sound of School
For the third year, the NFHS, Alfred Music, FJH Music, and MakeMusic, Inc are providing FREE orchestra, choir, and band pieces for school and community ensembles to play on Make Music Day – while also celebrating the 250th birthday of the United States of America.
Parts for all three pieces are available for free through MakeMusic Cloud, and printable parts and scores will be sent to all who register.
Band: March On, America! arr. by Douglas E. Wagner
Orchestra: Spirit of the American West, by Soon Hee Newbold
Choir: Let Freedom Ring! (With “America, the Beautiful”), by Ruth Morris Gray
May 15, 2026
Sponsor of the Week: Levitt Family Foundation
We are proud to partner this year with the Levitt Family Foundation who shares our belief in the power of free, live music to build community.
A national creative placemaking funder at the intersection of music, public space and community building, Levitt supports changemakers and nonprofits nationwide to build healthy, equitable and thriving communities through the power of free, live music.
Learn more: levitt.org
May 15, 2026
The Semiquincentennial Sousapalooza
Did you ever play in a school band? Is your clarinet gathering dust in your closet? Whether you last played 20 minutes ago or 20 years ago, you are invited to join friends and strangers in Sousapalooza!
Since its start in Chicago in 2011, Sousapalooza has highlighted Make Music Day around the country. Each June 21, hundreds of wind band players – from rusty amateurs to accomplished orchestral musicians – have gathered in parks and plazas to sightread the quintessentially American music of The March King, John Philip Sousa.
This year, thanks to generous support from the Levitt Family Foundation, Sousapaloozas are being organized from coast to coast in honor of America’s 250th birthday. Three Levitt concert series – in Dyersburg TN, Shenandoah Junction WV, and St Johnsbury VT – are among those taking part on June 21.
May 1, 2026
Champions: Jake Schmidt, Crossing Cultures Through Reggaeton
In this interview, we speak with Jake Schmidt, a California–based artist creating reggaeton and Latin-inspired music in Spanish. Jake shares how growing up in California sparked his interest in Latin culture, how he began collaborating with artists in Colombia, and how learning Spanish became part of his creative process. He also talks about performing original reggaeton for new audiences during Make Music Day, releasing music consistently, and his goal of connecting more deeply with the culture that inspires his sound.
You make reggaeton and Latin music. When did you first start making music?
I’ve been doing music in general for around ten years, I would say. Making the actual Latin stuff and everything in Spanish has probably been about four years.
And how did you get into Spanish music?
My whole family is 0% Latino, so I’m fully a basic white guy. But here in California we’ve had a huge influence from Mexico—food, culture, everything. I’ve had really good Spanish teachers in school that made Spanish class the best thing ever, and I really liked it. I wanted to try to become fluent, but never really did anything about it. Then I remember hearing Daddy Yankee and some of the old reggaetonero guys, and something about it was just different to me. I started making a playlist of all of it. I remember playing it at one of my friend’s houses. No one knew who was playing, but everybody liked it, probably because of the drums and rhythm. When I started making music, it was more like R&B. I started writing songs with one of my friends in LA. Then I decided I wanted to try to actually make this kind of music. I wondered how difficult it would be and what would actually be available to me. I don’t play any instruments, but there are so many tools where you can just use beats from reggaeton tracks. Then I’d think of melody ideas to put over them. The first ones were not great. But then I found a bunch of pretty experienced people through a website online where you could pay for tracks or songwriting. I looked for people in Colombia that had reggaeton listed as their primary genre, and hopefully they spoke some English. Then I met with them, and they would fix the track and make it something. I would have the melody idea, and they would fill in the Spanish words, and I would tweak it. That made me start taking Spanish classes, since I wanted to know exactly what we were saying.
Have you had a chance to go to Colombia?
Not yet. I really want to. My two friends are in Medellín, and my Spanish teacher is also there. I’m just trying to save up, but it’s either I pay money for a song or I pay to go down there for a couple of weeks. The flights are kind of expensive, but I know once I’m there I’ll be fine. Also, the Colombian people are great, they’re the best. I feel like everybody there is so much more hardworking and not afraid of things that us American people are afraid of. Even in some of the songs, when you translate them from Spanish to English, I’m like, if I were to say this in English, my mom would kill me. Or I would be seen as weird. Most of the time it’s not even a direct translation because of the passion behind it. That passion is really interesting. It’s just super honest and expressive in a different way.
What artists or musicians have influenced your sound the most?
The one that really got me going from the beginning was Karol G for sure. I say her because the beats in her tracks are simple and straightforward. She was the first one that made me believe this was possible. Then I ended up going to one of her shows in London and I was impressed. I think her style is cool. Other artists—mostly Colombian—like J Balvin and Feid. Then some of the old ones, like Wisin y Yandel, Zion y Lennox, and Don Omar.
Did you know about these classics before getting into reggaeton, or did you first hear Karol G and Bad Bunny and then explore older reggaeton?
Daddy Yankee was the first one. “Gasolina” was the first song that got popular. It’s kind of weird because so many people now know Bad Bunny and Karol G, but they still don’t know much beyond that. They have no idea who these older artists are. So I started liking reggaeton with Daddy Yankee, and now I’m really into Karol G and all the old-school artists I mentioned.
How did you first learn about Make Music Day?
One of my friends has a barbershop in Fullerton, and there was a Make Music Day thing there. He told me to apply and come do it for fun. Some random restaurants around Fullerton were interested—like a taqueria wanted us to come, which was super funny because they thought we were kidding and thought we were playing recorded music. Then there was more of a bar-club that wanted us to go, and we ended up staying until nighttime performing. It was all pretty random and cool.
How was that experience for you? How was it different from a normal gig?
It was cool because there were so many other people doing music. I think people were more open to just come see what was going on. With reggaeton specifically, if you hear the drums, you can hear them from far away, so people get curious. It was funny too because in Fullerton there’s a huge Latino population. It was a little scary because obviously I’m me, and we’re up there doing stuff in Spanish. I think a lot of people first thought we were playing old reggaeton songs, and then they realized it was original music. Obviously I sound super white and my accent isn’t great, so it was funny. I think we were the only ones doing this genre, and people were interested.
What’s next for you in terms of music projects you’re working on?
I’m just trying to do a new song every single month, keeping up with that cadence. It’s a lot of money, and I’m trying to work as much as possible to pay for everything and balance family, student loans, and all that stuff. Another goal for this year is to hopefully do more shows locally and honestly just have fun with people. A big thing too is bringing awareness to the style of music and the culture that comes with it. I want to hopefully go to Colombia and do some stuff down there, but we’ll see. I have no idea. Whatever God wants for us is what’s going to happen.
Finally, what advice would you give to someone who wants to become a musician or an artist?
There’s a lot of fear with it. I think everybody’s afraid of being that person on Instagram or TikTok—someone you went to school with posting singing videos—and you’re afraid of being embarrassing or bad. But if you really want to do it, there are so many resources, so many YouTube videos, and software that can help you build what you want. Just do it, and like anything, you’ll get better every time. As long as you’re humble about it. It’s really scary, and it scares me every single time too. But if even one person likes it, then I’m excited about it.
April 30, 2026
Make Music, Make Friends
For the fourth year, Make Music, Make Friends is connecting school children aged 7-13 around the world for Make Music Day, sharing videos of their musical performances with each other.
Teachers from 93 classrooms in Australia, Germany, India, Mexico, South Africa, Turkiye, the US, and the UK are creating a musical greeting video with their kids, sharing it with schools from different countries, and having their students watch these musical messages on the week of Make Music Day.
See the list of participating schools.
April 30, 2026
Make Your Guitar Sing
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, music retailers around the world are hosting free guitar string-changing sessions that come with a free set of acoustic Elixir Strings (for the first 12 registrants at each store). All are welcome at these String Together sessions, from complete newbies who have never changed their strings, to more experienced players looking for a few tips from a pro guitar tech.
Now in its third year, String Together is truly global: participating locations include 55 stores in the United States, 24 in South Korea, 22 in Italy, 12 in Australia, 12 in the U.K., 10 in Germany, 5 in Ukraine, and 4 in Taiwan. (Are you in Indonesia, South Africa, or Poland? We’ve got you covered there, too.)
What’s more, many stores are hosting String Together on June 20, the eve of Make Music Day – so your guitar will be in perfect condition to rock out on June 21.
Many thanks to Elixir Strings!
Visit the String Together page
April 30, 2026
Champions: Grimiss, Electro Psych Witch Rock Without Boundaries
In this interview, we talk with Ryan and Tristina of Grimiss about their self-described “psych witch rock” sound, blending drum machines, guitar, and dark, expressive vocals. They shared their approach to creating music without fitting into a specific genre, how their songs can shift styles while still sounding cohesive, and why they focus on building a sound that feels entirely their own. They also talked about performing at Make Music Salem, connecting with unexpected audiences in public spaces, and recording their second LP.
I saw you describe your sound as “psych witch rock”. How would you explain your music to someone hearing it for the first time?
Ryan: We’re a two-piece with guitar, drum machine, and a powerhouse female vocalist.
Tristina: Because we don’t have a drummer, all of our sounds are coming out of the drum machine. You get kind of an electronic sound, but with some psych stuff thrown in. I kind of veer into the darker realm with the way I deliver my vocals and some of my lyrical content. We don’t really fit into a specific genre box. We normally tell people we’re an electro-psych witch rock band, which — when you’re told that — you don’t quite know what that is. And that’s exactly how we want it, because we want people to check us out and hear us for themselves and make those judgments.
How did the band first come together?
Tristina: We were initially in a four-piece, a completely different band. It was very much a bar rock band. We had some ideas that we were throwing around with each other, and we tried to bring them into the mix, but it just didn’t feel quite right. From that point, we decided that we wanted to branch off and do our own side project. The band kind of fizzled out during COVID, and even though it was a horrible time for music, it was the perfect opportunity for us to get together and write a ton of music and get a set ready for when we were able to come back into the live scene.
Which artists or bands do you think have influenced your sound the most?
Tristina: It’s strange because we both love so many different styles of music. My favorite band is Genesis. I love prog rock, but I also love new wave. I like goth, post-punk. My favorite female vocalist is Whitney Houston. It’s all over the place.
Ryan: I’m a huge Ween fan. I like a lot of modern psych bands too. I like jazz. I like classic rock. It goes all over the place.
Tristina: We fall in line when it comes to our love for Led Zeppelin, Bowie. But none of it directly influences the music. I think we’ve spent so much time doing projects with other people where it was like, “This is the set sound and this is how we want things to be,” that both of us got tired of that and just wanted to do something that was our own. All those people that we’ve respected in the past were creating their own sound. They weren’t trying to sound like anyone else, and that’s part of what makes us admire them so much.
And as a band, do you feel like you finally found your sound, or do you think it’s still evolving?
Ryan: I mean, we just write songs. We don’t really put any thought into that. It’s just whatever idea we come up with next is what our next song is going to be.
Tristina: We were talking about this just the other night. We were here in our motel room, and we were talking about how we have songs that are so different from each other, but they all sound like Grimiss. They’re all cohesive. It sounds like us doing whatever it is we’re doing.
Have you guys ever thought of adding more members to the band? Or are you happy as a two-piece?
Ryan: We’ve both been in and out of bands for two decades, and we’re done dealing with other people. It’s all the hassles of trying to be in a band — trying to get a group of people together in the same room regularly, having to work everything out to be able to book shows. It’s just so much easier as a two-piece.
Tristina: I’ve never had this level of success in writing before, where he can just come at me with an idea and I write something to it. He’s like, “Yeah, that’s great. Let’s roll with it,” or vice versa. I can come up with a melody and throw it his way, and he can write something to it. And I’m like, “Oh, that’s exactly what I wanted.” Versus every situation I’ve been in in the past — it’s the back and forth, which works out great for some people. But we both, I guess, take a lot of pride in what we do, and we put forth a lot of work into our ideas. To have someone poop on them isn’t the greatest feeling.
So on to a few Make Music Day questions. How did you first hear about Make Music Day? Was last year your first Make Music Day event at Make Music Salem?
Tristina: No, actually with our old band we played in 2019. And then we’ve played as Grimiss every year since 2022. So we’ve been doing it for a bit. We live in Salem, and they make a legit event. They have hundreds of bands playing all over town. Although Salem has a struggling music scene, it doesn’t seem like it when June 21st comes. It is one day when everyone in town comes out and supports the local arts. It is a beautiful and amazing thing, and we’ve loved being a part of it.
How is a Make Music Day performance different from a normal gig?
Tristina: One thing that we’ve encountered on tour is that you have people you’re trying to convince to like you. As the touring band, you’re sandwiched in between, and they get to stand there and judge what you’re doing. It takes a lot to turn someone on to you. With Make Music Day, I feel like there’s such a different attitude. Everyone is so willing and ready to accept what’s going on — they just want to be a part of it. It’s such a great feeling. It charges you up, because they’re there and they want to be there for you, even though they don’t know who you are.
Ryan: I think Make Music Day brings out a lot of people that don’t normally go out and support local music. It’s more of a citywide event, kind of like a festival, and it’s free. So it draws a lot of people who wouldn’t normally make the effort to go out and see live music.
How is playing in open public spaces different for you than playing at a closed bar or someplace where people know they’re going to watch music?
Tristina: I love it. I love it because people are just walking by and stopping, and you’re getting these immense crowds around you. The very first year that we played as Grimiss, we had people several blocks away hear my voice and follow it to where we were playing. It’s a cool experience, because it’s this gathering of people who are so ready and willing to be part of the experience with you. I love a good stage, don’t get me wrong. But both experiences are very enjoyable.
So what’s next for Grimiss? Any new music, tours, or projects coming up?
Ryan: We’re in the process of recording our second LP. I don’t know if we’re touring again this year or not. We haven’t decided.
Tristina: It all depends on when we’re able to get the album done, because we’ve done our share of touring without new music, and I really want to be able to push something. So depending on when this album gets finished, I do want to have a tour along with it. I just don’t know where. We’ve done the West Coast and the Southwest. I’d really like to work our way over to the East Coast, but we have to save up a lot of money for that — or find people willing to donate to our cause.
So finally, last question. What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a band or make music?
Ryan: Make sure you enjoy the music you’re making. It can be easy to fall into a situation where the people are there, so you go along with it. But if you’re not enjoying it, it’s probably not going to last. You have to love what you’re doing.
Tristina: And don’t get discouraged. It’s really easy to fall into a slump and get into a weird headspace when things aren’t going the way you want them to. But there are good gigs, there are bad gigs, and there’s always an up following a down. So don’t let that down keep you down.