Make Music Wheaton

FAQ

GENERAL INFO

What is Make Music Wheaton?

Make Music Wheaton (MMW) is open to anyone who wants to take part. Every kind of musician — young and old, amateur and professional, of every musical persuasion — pours onto streets, parks, plazas and porches to share their music with friends, neighbors and strangers. All of it is free and open to the public.

When and where will Make Music Wheaton take place?

MMW will take place on Friday, June 21, 2024. The same date that a multitude of cities celebrate Fête de la Musique throughout the world.

Performances can be scheduled from 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM in spaces open for public participation throughout Downtown Wheaton. Sidewalks, parks and more may become impromptu musical stages, dance floors and social meeting points.

Who can participate?

MMW is open to EVERYONE! Students, amateurs, part-time professionals and established artists are all welcome. There is no audition process to be included in the musical merriment and MMW is open to all ages, skill levels and persuasions of music makers. All you need to do is sign up, make your match with a venue, show up and perform. Get creative! Even non-musicians are invited to participate by dancing, singing along with a crowd or even helping to organize a flash mob.

PARTICIPANT INFO

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

Where may I perform?

Performances will take place in a variety of outdoor and indoor spaces. The goal is to generate a continuous soundscape of music as people walk around participating spaces. Unlike many traditional music events, MMW does not have one central venue. We envision music corridors throughout Downtown Wheaton. The possibilities are endless and all it takes is a little creativity.

Sidewalks: Many musicians will perform on the sidewalks, otherwise known as “street performing”.

Private Spaces: Restaurants, businesses, community organizations and homeowners may wish to offer their locale as a venue. We welcome all. The only requirements are that the performance space is open to the public at no cost.

How long will each performance last?

You have complete artistic control. It’s your concert. Try to work with the venue, if that is not you, and find a time that best suits your needs. In other cities we’ve seen performances as short as a single song and as long as 18 hours! Artists and venues must agree to the length of a performance during the matchmaking process. Then, when you perform, you must stick to the set length you agreed to so that the published performance schedule stays on track.

May performers take full advantage of MMW and perform multiple times during the day?

At this time scheduling more than one performance is not recommended.

What if a band signs up now, and has to back out later?

Once your event is confirmed by your chosen location and by the MMW organizers, we will block off your spot. We are counting on you to perform! If you do need to cancel, it is your responsibility to find another performer to take your spot. Please let the location – and us – know about all program changes ASAP, so that MMW and the venue can help find a replacement.

What if I play an instrument, but don’t have my own band?

Join or organize a “Mass Appeal” event! The big idea is that scores of musicians who have never performed together before can band together to perform massive pieces. Think, a squad of acoustic guitars all playing the same song at the same time. You get the idea! Each performance works differently, depending on the genre, the instrument, and the location.

How do we sign up to perform in a park?

Visit https://www.makemusicday.org/wheaton/ to register as a performer, see all available venues and make a match!

Who will provide a stage / tuned grand piano / etc for my concert?

MMW is not a typical music festival. It is a DIY opportunity for people to be creative about putting together their own musical events. Our organizers set up the framework for concerts — the rest is up to you! Artists and locations collaborate to produce the events, provide electricity, if needed, and provide any necessary equipment.

Will there be a main stage?

There will be no main stage. Downtown Wheaton itself is your stage. This is not an event focused around built stages, so performances generally take place at the same level as the audience. Your stage could be a front porch, a restaurant patio, a park bench or any other space you can imagine. Do you have somewhere you’d love to play? Convince that location to register as a venue!

Will I be paid to perform?

MMW is a citywide celebration of summer and part of an international movement. As part of this international celebration, MMW agrees to offer all performances for free to the public. As is the case with other cities around the world, our contribution is setting up the framework for performances by securing the permits, coordinating the concerts and publicizing the event with media stories, concert listings with our media partners and an interactive website.

Participation at any level, as a musician, host or spectator is voluntary. This allows musicians of all skill levels the opportunity to come out and perform in public if they wish. While most performers volunteer their time and talents, both venues and musicians are welcome to seek outside sponsorship and support if they so choose.

Can I charge admission for a MMW concert?

No, all MMW concerts are free and open to the public.

Can I block off a street?

No.

Can my concert be “invitation only”?

No, all MMW performances are free and open to the public. However, there may be a couple of venues that are 21+ only.

MATCHMAKING SOFTWARE AND MAKING MATCHES INFO

How do I sign up to perform or host a concert?

Musicians and venues will use our registration and matchmaking tool, which is found at:  https://www.makemusicday.org/wheaton/ in order to register and make concert arrangements with each other.

If you encounter problems, please contact us at wheaton@makemusicday.org and we’ll work through the problem together.

On the registration page I see that MMW runs from 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Wow, that is a long event!

It’s likely that the number of events per hour will increase as the day goes along. This just gives you the option of playing/hosting your event whenever works best for you and your audience.

The matchmaking software asks for my Facebook and website addresses. I don’t have Facebook or a website. Does this mean I can’t register?

Facebook or a website are not required. We ask for the links to allow potential venues and performers to learn more about each other before committing to the match. After matchmaking is complete, our website will allow prospective audiences to sample your work and allow you to promote yourself. If you incorrectly enter information in these boxes, you won’t be allowed to continue. Information entered should be accurate or the box should be left blank.

I’m a venue. Why is there a check box that says “Accepting requests from artists to perform here?” I wouldn’t be signing up if I weren’t accepting performers.

When your venue is full, you will un-check this box. We’ll see your venue, and performance schedule, and see that it is full.

Why am I restricted to three choices for the type of music I perform or that my venue will accept?

This arbitrary limit is to make finding the right match easier. Use the “Other” choice and the description box to override this limitation. Then, you can tell us about your music styling in the description box. If you represent a venue open to all types of music- just say so in your description.

I see there is a box asking me how I will promote my performance and I have no idea how to promote my performance. Do I need to promote my performance or venue to participate?

Everyone who signs up on our matchmaking website should describe what they will do for promotion. We are counting on musicians and locations to promote their own shows, in all the ways that they normally would — sending out email blasts, putting notices on websites, texting all of their friends, etc.

What will MMW do to help promote my concert?

We will list all concerts on the MMW website (with descriptions and links to artist websites, where available), and we’ll pitch stories about noteworthy concerts to the press.

I’ve signed up as an artist or a venue and I’m ready to make a match. Can you break down the approval process in the software for me?

You can see all of the details on any artist or performer who fits your search criteria from either the browse or account pages. Use the box with the drop down menus labeled “venue type”, “neighborhood” and “electricity” to narrow your choices. Use the small triangle to the left of the name of the artist or venue to see all of the details on that option. You can see all available venues and performers by selecting the browse feature, but the matchmaking actually happens on your account page.

I’ve looked at all of my options and chosen some possible venues or musicians. What happens now?

After you make a choice, that choice will receive an email to notify them. Then both sides need to confirm, modify or decline the opportunity. If you wish to modify, you should contact the other party to resolve the problem. When you agree on a match it will be recorded, and then MMW will then examine and send final approval to both parties. Before approval by artist, venue and the webmaster, your desired match will appear on your “Account” page under “My Performances”; note that until all three parties have approved, the match is “pending confirmation”. After approval by artist, venue, and MMW, the match will be recorded at “Performances”.

We completed our matchmaking last week, but our completed match still says “Pending Confirmation”. What gives?

MMW must confirm each performance before it is final. In most cases MMW will confirm your performance and venue match within two weeks. If your venue and performer are certain you have a firm commitment, there is no need to worry, you are going steady and we will not force a break up.

Do I need to check in with my “Account” page to see if there are any pending matches?

No worries. When someone requests a match, you will be emailed a notification to login and check the match.

Let’s say I signed up two weeks ago as either a venue or a performer and no one has picked my venue/performance. When should I start to worry?

It may take time to make a match. Keep in mind that the registration will be open until June 17th, so new musicians and venues will be appearing over the entire time period. If you don’t see what you want today, come back at another time. Or, be creative in your matchmaking. Venues may contact musicians not already registered in the matchmaking software to ask them to sign up. Likewise, performers may contact venues where they’d like to perform and ask them to sign up as venues. Also consider that venues can be almost any public place in Downtown Wheaton where people can gather without impeding traffic. The playground down the street, the pet store’s parking lot, the plaza outside your office building could all be venues.

My performance was denied. Why?

Some reasons for a denial might be because the venue’s time slots all have been filled, or the venue cannot accommodate your type of music or number of performers. Don’t despair, try to find another match.

A venue or performer wants to modify my request for a match. What is required of me now?

The modify request in our matchmaking software is there to set up a performance schedule that works for both the venue and performer. If a request needs to be modified in some way other than time, you will need to contact the other party to work through details of the modification.

It’s June 17th and there is still no match. Should I be heartbroken?

MMW wants to make sure everyone who wants to perform can perform. After June 17th, registration will close. We will contact musicians and venues that haven’t been able to create a match through the software and will propose some creative options for your inclusion in the MMW merriment. We are in the happiness business and don’t want you to be disappointed or left out.

OTHER PARTICIPANT INFO

Who organizes this event?

Launched in 2019, Make Music Wheaton, put on by the Downtown Wheaton Association and relaunched in partnership in 2023 by the City of Wheaton’s Fine & Cultural Arts Commission, joins an informal confederation of more than 800 cities worldwide in creating opportunities for all stripes of music makers to take to the streets to celebrate the summer solstice.

Can I donate to MMW?

If you are interested in becoming a MMW sponsor, please contact us at wheaton@makemusicday.org.