Participate
Participate On Make Music Day!
You can participate by signing up as either a venue or a performer! Just click to Login/Sign Up and complete your profile. You can then use the matchmaking feature to make a match worthy of celebration!
What is considered a venue? It could be your front porch, the sidewalk in front of your business, the front steps of your church, a street corner, a stage in your pub, or just about anywhere that could house a musician!
Who is considered a performer? Are you making music of some kind? You’re a performer.
Artists and venues for the event are paired through our match-making site. It’s fancy. It takes into account all sorts of preferences like available times, music genre, whether your set requires power and so on. In 2023, we had 100+ confirmed performances all around the city! The registration for 2024 is open and will run through June 21. Happy Pairing!
How do I sign up? Check out the video tutorials below for step by step instructions on how to use the matchmaking site. Still need help? email us at cincinnati@makemusicday.org or click the blue chat button in the bottom right corner of this page.
Be Sure To Livestream Your Performance!
How do I livestream my performance? We would love for you to stream your performance live on Facebook on Make Music Day.
It’s easy! Just stream from your phone or device using #makemusiccincy and #makemusicday.
For step by step instructions on how to live stream your performance, click here.
Want to add some extra marketing power to your event? Click here to generate a custom poster and for some great marketing materials and event toolkit.
How to Create an Account for Make Music Day
About
It is the mission of Make Music Cincinnati to support music education and musical activities in the Greater Cincinnati area by making music accessible to all people.”
Make Music Cincinnati is part of Make Music Day, the global music celebration happening in over 1,000+ international cities. It’s a free, citywide, outdoor day of music held annually on the summer solstice, June 21. Make Music Cincinnati turns the city into a stage welcoming a full spectrum of performers. Initiated in 2018 as Cincinnati’s entry into the international summer solstice music celebration, we join hundreds of millions of people all over the world for Make Music Day.
In 2022 the City of Cincinnati officially proclaimed June 21 Make Music Day!
VISION
Through all expressions of music, we strive to transform individuals, organizations and communities.
Individuals; we strive to ignite their musical journeys through authentic connection and equitable opportunity.
Organizations; we strive to engage in meaningful collaboration through greater communication and unwavering advocacy.
Communities; we strive to spread the beauty of music among all cultures to foster purpose, unity, and deeper understanding.
Make Music Cincinnati is a values based learning organization. This means that we operate our organization and our relationships through the guidance of these core values. To help better understand the values, they are listed below.
CORE VALUES
Embrace Change;
Challenge our existing ways of thinking and behavior. We believe that embracing change is not always about doing something differently, but thinking and believing differently. We will know we are embracing change when we can look back and realize that the problems of yesterday are not the problems we are facing today.
Fail Courageously;
Mistakes are our biggest learning opportunity. We support all people in having the courage to try something new. We look kindly at those who fail realizing that it is not failure itself, but the choices after a mistake that uncover much about a person’s character. We walk with those who experience failure and help them move towards a flourishing cadenza of learning.
Honor the Moment;
We celebrate one another by being present. We honor the moment by speaking in a way that breathes life, because our words have the power to build up others. We honor the moment by listening with curiosity, because words and music are only as impactful as the perception of the listener. We honor the moment by showing up, and celebrating the milestones of others. We honor the moment by keeping it real, and stepping into healthy discord. We take our past experiences, our dreams for the future and allow them to inform our present, so that we may walk in honor of each moment.
Challenge Impossible;
Think Big. Dream Bigger. We value approaching all things first with a perspective of challenging the impossible. Unwrap your imagination, release your creativity, play in the sandbox of wonder and awe of the what if! We want to think of the impossible, the things so “out there” that you cannot do them on your own. The impossible is only achievable in the context of community.
Build Up Others;
We use music as the language to build bridges of connection between communities. We value building up one another because together, we can have an outcome greater than the sum of its parts. We believe that we are successful only when our communities are successful. We prioritize diverse relationships that allow music to enrich lives. We build up others by creating safe environments for self expression through music. We value courageous conversations in a spirit of unity. We will know we are building up our community when we are welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating with all people. We stimulate the thought of the world being a better place.
Encourage Creative Expression;
Share your distinctive story in a creative and thoughtful way. We believe all people, on some level, crave personal creative expression. Musical experiences aim to humanize you, your voice, your story by embracing the freedom of creativity and harnessing our social responsibility to speak life (and light) onto others and into the world. We believe each person deserves to express themselves uniquely in a way that honors themselves and others. We encourage creative expression so that we can better articulate our feelings and thoughts. Not focusing on artistic ability, or representative of a specific ability, it is the capacity to find joy in personal expression and the freedom to let go.
Push Play;
Marvelous things happen when we engage with our lives. Pushing Play is about helping others realize their potential by creating real opportunities to discover and explore their unique giftings. We believe that every person has a unique self they can push the play button on their life, to step into. push play and enjoy the journey. We experience joy when we push play. Let’s push play, move forward, do hard things, seek excellence, practice diligence, get out of the zones of comfort, let’s go out of bounds, let’s do what they said you could never do. Let’s defy the box they put you in. Let’s get out of judgment and push play!
Break A Leg;
It’s showtime, let’s exceed expectations. Break a Leg is the progressive culmination of all our work and preparation. We believe that when we approach everything we do with excellence, we will naturally go above and beyond expectation. We employ daily diligence to work for a artform we love a lot. When we break a leg we go beyond expectations and create a memorable experience. What kind of memories do we want to leave people with? We aim to be 2% better each day. We believe in doing things to the best of our ability, including learning and growing. We believe these are all key to achieving excellence in life, which is then meant to be shared with others.
Did you know music makes you smarter? Really! It’s neuroscience!
Check out these articles
https://www.savethemusic.org/blog/does-music-make-you-smarter/
https://www.ucf.edu/pegasus/your-brain-on-music/
Streetcar
We are excited to announce Music On the Cincinnati Bell Connector!
In partnership with the City of Cincinnati, Department of Transportation, Make Music Cincinnati is happy to announce the latest venue for Make Music Day, Cincinnati Bell Connector (streetcar). All throughout the day on Wednesday June 21 people can ride for free and music will ring out on the streetcar!
Sign ups for musicians to play on the streetcar are now live! If you or your group would like to play Click here to sign up
2024 Listings
2024 Listings: Friday, June 21st
Support
For eight years, we have presented free, safe, celebratory and diverse music experiences that celebrate Cincinnati’s local musicians and our shared outdoor spaces across all fifty-two neighborhoods.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, all contributions are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Determination Letter MMC IRS
Our mission has always been accessible to all people.
Now, as the city continues to recover from the pandemic, your support is more crucial than ever.
To donate by credit card or PayPal, click on the donate button below.
Donate by check to: Make Music Cincinnati, 2795 Eight Mile Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45244.
Click the donate button below and make your contribution to Make Music Cincinnati today. And keep the music playing.
Make Music Cincinnati is a volunteer-organized event and thrives on the support of our community.
Financial Donations:
MAKE MUSIC CHAMPION $1000+
MAKE MUSIC LEADER $500 – $999
MAKE MUSIC ADVOCATE $100 – $499
FRIEND OF MAKE MUSIC CINCINNATI Up to $99
Ambassadors are the official cheerleaders of Make Music Cincinnati. They are an important part of Make Music Day because they help spread the word on social media and through word of mouth. Sign up today and see the impact your personal network has on making music in Cincinnati! To become an Ambassador, click here: AMBASSADOR
What does it cost and where does the money go? The work of small army of volunteers makes it possible to pull this off on such a limited budget, but unavoidable costs remain, including: publicity and advertising that are critical to the success of the event, renting sound systems for various venues, musical instruments for interactive venues, and many smaller items such as insurance and event permitting. Someday, we’d love to pay all of the musicians who participate!
*We are a 501(c)(3), your donations are tax deductible!
In-Kind Donations:
Donate venue space, food, musical instruments, supplies, marketing opportunities, etc.
Media and Marketing Donations:
Help us promote the event through social media, press releases, print materials, and word of mouth!
Sponsorship
Our partners benefit from co-marketing with an event that has become a summer highlight, and receive extensive exposure through print and radio advertising, prominent placement on a highly trafficked website and mobile app, and on posters and banners venues all over the city. When the Solstice rolls around, we are everywhere. All sponsors receive a complimentary invite to the MMC Recognition Event in August, which highlights the event for the year, and provides meaningful networking opportunities.
To learn more about In-Kind, Media/Marketing Donations and/or Sponsoring Make Music Day events, please contact us at cincinnati@makemusicday.org.
Volunteer
Looking to give back to your community? Become a volunteer for Cincinnati’s Make Music Day! We’ll design a shift based on your schedule and your wishes for being a part of the day. If you sign up in time, there even may be a free t-shirt in your future!
Gallery
Contact
Want to learn more?
Email us at cincinnati@makemusicday.org
MMC Merch
Show your support to music in Cincinnati by purchasing some Make Music Cincinnati swag!
All proceeds from the orders will go to support the Make Music Cincinnati mission.
MMC Studio
The MMC Studio helps Encourage Creative Expression in Cincinnati creatives by being accessible to all- young and old, amateur and professional.
MMC Studio is Cincinnati’s most accessible audio recording studios. We offer high-quality audio recordings for content creators and musicians of all styles.
We are the all-in-one solution to your audio recording needs.
- Music Composition (help you write songs)
- Content Creation (Podcasts, custom music for advertisements)
- Session Tracking (play instruments on your song for you)
- Audio Production
- Audio Engineering
- Audio Mixing
- Audio Mastering
- Voice over
- Audiobooks
- Automated dialogue replacement (ADR)
- Album or content artwork
- Streaming services
- Vinyl, CD, Tape etc.
The MMC Studio is a unique space to explore and express your musical creativity. MMC Studio is a safe place for musicians of all persuasions. Our engineers and producers are passionate about helping you along the pathway of your unique musical expression.
For booking time and for session rates please email brandon@makemusiccincy.org
*All proceeds from the MMC Studio go to support the mission of Make Music Cincinnati 501(c)(3).