About
Make Music Cable is part of the worldwide Make Music Day music celebration held each June 21, the summer solstice. Featuring concerts, performances, music lessons, jam sessions and other musical events on streets, sidewalks, parks and public spaces in Cable and across the U.S., Make Music Day encourages all people, of all musical abilities, to celebrate the joy of making music.
Over 1000 cities around the world have celebrated Make Music Day! In the U.S., Wisconsin ranks near the top of the list of the number of cities and towns participating in Make Music Day.
History
It all started 40 years ago in France.
In 1982, Jack Lang and his staff at the Ministry of Culture dreamed up an idea for a new kind of musical holiday. They imagined a day where free, live music would be everywhere: street corners and parks, rooftops and gardens, store fronts and mountaintops.
And, unlike a typical music festival, anyone and everyone would be invited to join and play music, or host performances. The event would take place on the summer solstice, June 21, and would be called Fête De La Musique. In French, the name means both “festival of music” and “make music”!
Amazingly enough, this dream has come true. The Fête has turned into a true national holiday in France. The entire country shuts down on the summer solstice and musicians take over. Almost 8% of the country (5 million people) have played an instrument or sung in public for the Fête de la Musique.
Four decades later, the holiday has spread throughout the world and is now celebrated in more than 120 countries. In the U.S., the presenting sponsor is the NAMM Foundation (National Association of Music Merchants).
“Music has the power to bring people together like no other art form.” Michael Franti
Participate
Calling all Musical Artists! Anyone who loves music, art, movement, or drama, regardless of skill or training, is a Musical Artist. Come get involved in Make Music Day!
Whether you are a Musical Artist wanting to perform, or a venue looking to host artists in-person or online, you are welcome! All genres, all ages and skill levels are welcome to participate.
In the spirit of Make Music Day, all performances are free and open to the public. Tip jars are allowed.
All kinds of music and music-related performances such as dance and Tai Chiare welcome. The idea is for everyone to enjoy the experience of music making or listening to music.
Because Make Music Day occurs on June 21st, outdoor performance spaces (porches, decks, patios, parks, back yards, street corners, parking lots) are preferred although indoor spaces are also fine.
As a musician/performer, you are encouraged to work with your favorite venue to arrange a place and time to perform (or use the Scheduler below to help us find a match).
Hosts (venue operators) are encouraged to work with the performer(s) of your choice, and to schedule time for them to perform. If you want to be a venue but don’t have a musician in mind, use to Scheduler to find a match.
Hosting can be as simple as providing space on your porch or as complex as renting a stage and sound equipment. Hosts control the location, performance times, and list available equipment.
Sites must:
- Be within the Cable Area
- Be free and accessible to the public
- Maintain space on the sidewalk for pedestrians
As a volunteer, you may have some ideas to share and implement–face painting, May Pole dancing, folk dancing, musical theater skits–let us know how we can help you implement your vision.
We will be starting earlier in the day this year, 10 AM, and going as late as performers are interested in performing. A campfire sing-a-long is planned for 7:00 pm at the Old School Site across from the post office on Kavanaugh (stay tuned as times may change).
In response to feedback, we hope to minimize the number of overlapping performance times. We ask that events primarily targeting children be scheduled between 10 AM and 2 PM and all other events be scheduled after 2 PM.
We are now using a computer-based Scheduler to make matching venues and performers easier.
One more time, all together now. Who Can Participate? EVERYONE!
All ages, skill levels, and styles. You can play one show or as many as you’d like. Use the scheduling tool below to find where you might fit in.
Click here to schedule your time slot as a Venue or as a Musician/Participant.
Listings
2025 Listings: Saturday, June 21
Support
The more the merrier. Let’s gather as many people together as possible so that Make Music Cable becomes the best event it can be.
Have a special skill you’d like to put to work volunteering with Make Music Cable?
Would you like more information to share with friends, family or your community group?
Able to donate your time, finances, or instruments?
Email cable@makemusicday.org
Contact
Get in touch with us at cable@makemusicday.org You can also find us on Facebook.