Make Music Day 2019 Announces Updated Schedule

NEW YORK, May 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Make Music Day, the annual global celebration of music featuring over 5,000 free outdoor concerts, music lessons, jam sessions and other magnificent music-making events in more than 85 U.S. cities on June 21, today announced its updated schedule of events. A worldwide phenomenon observed by hundreds of millions of people in more than 1,000 cities in 120 countries, the daylong musical free-for-all on the summer solstice brings musicians of all ages, backgrounds and skill levels together to make, enjoy, perform, teach and learn music. Among the U.S. cities hosting major celebrations are New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Buffalo, Hartford, Madison, Miami, Nashville, Phoenix, Salem (OR) and San Jose – as well as the entire state of Vermont. Additionally, as part of the celebration, iconic buildings and landmarks in participating U.S. cities will glow orange for Make Music Day.

Completely different from a typical music festival, Make Music Day celebrates and promotes the natural music maker in all of us, regardless of ability. Reimagining their cities and towns as stages, every kind of musician – young and old, amateur and professional, of every musical persuasion – pours onto streets, parks, plazas, porches, rooftops, gardens and other public spaces to celebrate, create and share their music with friends, neighbors, and strangers.

Launched in France in 1982 as the Fête de la Musique, Make Music Day is presented in the U.S. by The NAMM Foundation and coordinated by the nonprofit Make Music Alliance. In addition to massive citywide celebrations, Make Music Day will also include smaller festivities in other communities nationwide.

Highlights of Make Music Day in the U.S. will include over 250 Mass Appeals that gather large groups of musicians to participate in impromptu performances using single instruments such as guitars, harmonicas, accordions, ukuleles, bucket drumming, double basses, kazoos, choral singers, and pBuzzes.

For Mass Appeal Guitars, the annual songbook will pay tribute to the 50^th anniversary of Woodstock with songs such as Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock," as well as "Blue Moon" by Rogers/Hart and "I'm Going Home," both of which were played at Woodstock by other performers. Other songs will include The Zombies' "She's Not There," "Singing in the Rain" by Freed/Brown, and Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now."

Additional national Make Music Day highlights include:

• Sousapaloozas – In Chicago, Cleveland, Fullerton (CA), Hartford, Iowa City, Anchorage – Alaska's first-ever Make Music Day event – Wichita (KS) and elsewhere, hundreds of brass and wind musicians will join together to play the music of "The March King" John Philip Sousa.
• pBuzz – In Appleton (WI), Chattanooga, Cleveland, Hartford, Land O' Lakes (WI), Miami, New York, Phoenix and Philadelphia, young music learners will play pBuzzes, a fun, brightly colored introductory brass instrument made of plastic. The workshops are in partnership with Warwick Music, the makers of pBuzz.
• Street Studios – In Chattanooga, New York, Los Angeles, Stamford, Washington D.C. Novi (MI) and other locations, world-class DJs and producers will set up their gear on sidewalks and engage passersby and musicians to join in an entirely improvised music creation session.
• Drum Set Duos – In Boston, Chattanooga, Rochester (MI), St. Petersburg (FL), Salem (OR), Miami and elsewhere, local drum shops will place two full drum sets on the sidewalk or parking lot in front of their store, and have a facilitator sit at one of the sets and invite passersby, students, and professional musicians to take a seat at the other set to join in a spontaneous drum set duo.
• Heart Chant – In Appleton, Chattanooga , Chicago, Fullerton, Hartford, New York, Philadelphia, Pueblo (CO), Rochester (NY), St. Louis and Santa Fe, people will come together to perform the Deep Listening meditation, an offering of sonic healing for all beings through vocalization and listening. The Heart Chant was written by Pauline Oliveros in response to the 9/11 terror attacks.
• Make Music Day Live Streaming – Museums, cultural centers, libraries and music venues in U.S. cities including Burlington (VT), Chattanooga, Fullerton, Hartford, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, Rochester (NY), Salem (OR), San Jose, and Worcester (MA) will join international counterparts in live streaming the global broadcast of Make Music Day.
• Music & Arts – The nation's largest music lessons provider will be offering up a complimentary Open Mic night at 200 locations around the U.S.
• Bands Undercover – In New York, Long Beach (CA) and Montclair (NJ), bands will take to the streets to cover each other's music, and live stream their performances to each other in a unique musical exchange. The program will connect musicians in distant places through the power of songwriting.
• Low Volume Cymbals – For events requiring a lower volume – Music with Babies in Nashville, Drum Set Duos in Chattanooga, an "instrument station" in a Worcester (MA) park, and Drum Set Duos at a public library in Miami, Zildjian is donating sets of quiet cymbals.

Other events around the U.S. will showcase the musical history and ingenuity of each city including:

• Jon Batiste Piano Performance – Globally celebrated musician and "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" bandleader Jon Batiste – prior to his performance that evening at the Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield (CT) – will give an impromptu piano performance out on Main Street on a piano donated by Steinway of Greenwich. The piano will be out on the street all day for passersby to stop and play.    
• Shower Singing – In Portland (ME) and Tucson (AZ), participants can embrace their powerful shower singing skills right in the middle of a busy downtown park, where a claw foot tub with a shower curtain will be set up. Inside the shower will be a microphone and amp for people to belt out the lyrics to their favorite songs.
• Make Music Day Themed Beer – Make Music Day Iowa will present the first-ever Make Music Day-themed beer. Cedar Rapids-based Lion Bridge Brewing Company and music retailer West Music have partnered to create "Makin' Music-English Mild Ale" for the local communities to enjoy. The brew will be available at venues across Iowa's Creative Corridor on June 21^st in support of this fantastic celebration.
• Kazoo Parade – In Hartford, a special kazoo parade will take place on Pratt Street. Free kazoos will be given out to the first 100 people who attend.
• Water Night – Making its way up the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn (NY), a musical flotilla will perform Grammy Award-winning composer Eric Whitacre's "Water Night." The piece will be performed by singers in canoes provided by the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club.
• Across the ZOO-niverse – An all-day festival featuring a remarkably diverse lineup of Vermont musicians will be held at The Fletcher Free Library in Burlington (VT).
• Wandering Musical Art – Sound Suits – In Land O' Lakes (WI), watch for colorful characters in musical suits in the downtown area. Inspired by artist Nick Cave, Land O' Lakes Arts' artisans have created funky, clunky, chunky and LOUD wearable art.
• Take Your Instrument to Work Day – Trombone while on the phone? Kazoo in a cubicle? Guitar behind a bar? Accordion in an atrium? Rock on a loading dock? Tenor sax by storage racks? To mark the first-ever Make Music Day in Durham (NC), locals are being encouraged to take a musical instrument to their place of work.
• Musical Instruments Made from Shovels – In Reedsburg (WI), they will be putting the culture back into agriculture with musical instruments made from shovels, and other inspired musical activities coordinated by the Wormfarm Institute.
• Hip Hop Lyric Workshop – Poets and lyricists Ryan Parker and Justis Lopez of Just Experience will lead a hip hop lyric workshop and cypher in Hartford. No songwriting experience is needed and all writing levels are welcome.
• Conduct Your Own Symphony Orchestra – Members of the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra will be in downtown Mystic (CT) waiting to perform. All they need is a conductor. Anyone and everyone is invited to step up to the podium and try their hand at conducting the orchestra!
• The Industrial Music Roadshow – Also in Hartford, participants will use artifacts from the New Britain Industrial Museum to create sounds and ultimately music with objects that tell the story of the state's industrial past.
• Macon Downtown Boogie – In Macon (GA), an outdoor showcase of live local talent on stage at 3^rd Street Park – including an open mic hour and giveaways – will spotlight the city's rich musical heritage.
• My San Jose Song – The San Jose Chamber Orchestra is soliciting the submission of original, one-minute musical works of all genres, written by community members and inspired by San Jose as part of the My San Jose Song project. Submissions will be curated by the Chamber Orchestra and performed by a variety of musical groups in the San Jose City Hall Rotunda throughout the day on June 21.
• The Youth Music Summit – In Miami, a daylong gathering of young musician ensembles will combine educational workshops with an evening showcase concert.
• World's Largest M – On the site of the world's largest "M," built out of limestone on a hillside in Platteville (WI), participants will play a variety of percussion instruments on each of the 266 steps leading to the top.
• Silent Disco – In Salem (OR), participants will wrap up the local festivities with a silent disco in the city's downtown alleys.

Many other countries around the world are deepening their Make Music Day involvement in 2019. On June 21, over 1,600 musical events are planned in the U.K., along with 4,000 concerts across 160 cities in China, events in over 500 cities and towns in Italy, and the first-ever celebration in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus.

All Make Music Day events are free and open to the public. Participants who wish to perform, or to host musical events, may register at MakeMusicDay.org. A full schedule of events will be posted on the website in early June.

For editorial photos of past Make Music Day events, click here.

About Make Music Day
Held annually on June 21 to coincide with the summer solstice, Make Music Day is part of the international Fête de la Musique, taking place in more than 1,000 cities across 120 countries. The daylong, musical free-for-all celebrates music in all its forms, encouraging people to band together and play in free public concerts. This year, over 85 U.S. cities and the entire state of Vermont are organizing Make Music celebrations, encompassing thousands of music making opportunities nationwide. Make Music Day is presented by The NAMM Foundation and coordinated by the nonprofit Make Music Alliance. For more information, please visit www.makemusicday.org.

Participating U.S. Make Music Cities in 2019
Allen (TX), Altoona (PA), Anaheim (CA), Appleton (WI), Bethlehem (NH), Boise (ID), Boston (MA), Bridgeport (CT), Buena Park (CA), Buffalo (NY), Canandaigua (NY), Cedar Rapids (IA), Chattanooga (TN), Chicago (IL), Cincinnati (OH), Cleveland (OH), Columbia (SC), Danbury (CT), Davis (CA), Denton (TX), Detroit (MI), Durham (NC), East Granby (CT), Fairfield (CT), Federal Way (WA), Fullerton (CA), Greenwich (CT), Hartford (CT), Hastings (MN), Hebron (CT), Iowa City (IA), Issaquah (WA), Ithaca (NY), Kansas City (MO), Kitsap County (WA), Land O' Lakes (WI), Liberty (MO), Long Beach (CA), Los Angeles (CA), Macon (GA), Madison (WI), Miami (FL), Milwaukee (WI), Mentor (OH), Middletown (CT), Milford (CT), Minneapolis-St. Paul (MN), Montclair (NJ), Nashville (TN), New Haven (CT), New York (NY), Nicholasville (KY), Northwest CT (Torrington), Norwalk (CT), Ossining (NY), Philadelphia (PA), Phoenix (AZ), Pittsburgh (PA), Platteville (WI), Portland (ME), Provo (UT), Rapid City | Black Hills (SD), Reedsburg (WI), Ridgefield (CT), Rochester (NY), Roselle Park (NJ), St. Louis (MO), Salem (OR), San Diego (CA), San Jose (CA), Seattle (WA), Southeastern CT (New London), Springfield (MO), Stamford (CT), Stratford (CT), Suwanee (GA), Syracuse (NY), Tucson (AZ), Vermont (statewide), Washington (DC), Waterbury (CT), Wheaton (IL), Wichita (KS), Williamsport (PA), Woodbury (CT), and Worcester (MA). Additionally, Ontario, CA (Toronto) will be participating.

About The NAMM Foundation
The NAMM Foundation is a non-profit supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its 10,400 members around the world. The NAMM Foundation works to advance active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs. For more information about The NAMM Foundation, please visit www.nammfoundation.org.

SOURCE Make Music Day

Related Links

http://www.makemusicday.org