Make Music Vermont! International Make Music Day is June 21!
4,500+ Live, Free Outdoor Music-Making Events to Launch Summer in Over 70 U.S. Cities and Entire State of Vermont
800 Cities in 120 Countries including the UK, China, Brazil, Nigeria, Australia, Mexico and Argentina to Celebrate Make Music Day 2018
BURLINGTON April 9, 2018 — Make Music Day, the annual global celebration of music on the summer solstice, returns this year on Thursday, June 21 with more than 4,500 free outdoor concerts, music lessons, jam sessions and other exciting music-making events being held in over 70 U.S. cities in 31 states. New York City, Los Angeles, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Hartford, Madison, Miami, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Philadelphia, Salem (OR) and Nashville are among the numerous cities hosting major celebrations – as well as the entire states of Vermont and Connecticut – in what has become a worldwide phenomenon observed by hundreds of millions of people in 800 cities in 120 countries. Additionally, iconic buildings and landmarks in participating U.S. cities will turn orange to mark the all-day musical free-for-all, which brings together musicians of all ages, backgrounds and genres, amateur and professional alike, to make and enjoy music.
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 – from bucket drummers and opera singers to hip-hop artists and marching bands – 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. Vermont became the first full state to participate in the festival with the coordination of Big Heavy World, the independent, volunteer-run music development office and archive. James Lockridge, Big Heavy World Executive Director, says, “Make Music Day gives Vermonters a platform to celebrate creativity, talent, and our warm community spirit. From Bennington to Burlington, music helps us connect with neighbors and new friends and reminds us of how proud we can be of our local artists.” Vermont musicians and hosts of music are encouraged to register at http://www.bigheavyworld.com/makemusicvt/ to be included on a map of June 21 events across the state.
Highlights of Make Music Day in the U.S. will include Street Studios in over 10 cities – including Burlington, New York, Boston, Chattanooga, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, Philadelphia Portland (ME) and in a Reedsburg (WI) cow pasture – where DJs and producers bring their gear and engage passersby and musicians in the spontaneous, collaborative production of original music; Sousapaloozas in Chicago, Fullerton, Hartford, Minneapolis-St.Paul and Salem (OR) that bring together hundreds of brass and wind musicians to play the music of John Philip Sousa; and over 200 Mass Appeals that gather large groups of musicians to participate in impromptu performances using single instruments such as guitars, harmonicas, accordions, flutes, percussion, trombones, French horns, synthesizers, ukuleles, djembes and saxophones.
Additional Make Music Day highlights include:
- Usher Themed Car Karaoke – In Chattanooga, people will bring their lovers and friends and unleash their inner Usher in a Green Commuter safely parked at a solar-powered charging station
- From Nothing to Something: A BNA Spoon Jam – At the Nashville International Airport, travelers will be invited to participate in a mass spoon play-along event led by Lucious "Spoon Man" Talley and in partnership with the National Museum of African American Music, and Arts at the Airport. Travelers will be given a pair of spoons to keep.
- Harlem to Broadway! – At the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater in Harlem's Marcus Garvey Park, a concert celebrating music from the "Great White Way" will be held featuring selections from the songbooks of legendary composers and Harlem residents. The concert is presented in partnership with Jazzmobile and the Marcus Garvey Park Alliance.
- Musical Intervention – Record Attempt at Most Vocal Solos in a Recording – In New Haven, people will try to break a record for most vocal solos in a song recording. Organizers are inviting at least 500 people to have their voices recorded.
- Mount Rushmore Concerts – Make Music Black Hills | Rapid City will host music covering a range of styles from jazz to rock to brass to play-along at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial from 11 am to 6 pm
- Water Music – At several waterfront locations in Boston, a new site-specific environmental work inspired by the Charles River and Handel's famous piece, "Water Music," will be performed. Listeners will each create their own experience by walking within and around the performers (brass players, percussionists and singers)
- Orchestral Play-Along –Students and community musicians will have the unique opportunity to bring their instruments and collaborate with members of the Chicago Philharmonic in rehearsing and performing a free mixed program at Humboldt Park Boathouse
- World's Largest "M" – On the site of the largest "M" in the world, 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.
- Young Composers Contest – In celebration of Make Music Day, music technology company MakeMusic and the American Composers Forum are hosting a composition contest for young composers aged 13-21. Judges will select one piece for wind band to be performed live in select cities on Make Music Day.
- Global Make Music Day highlights include over 500 events in the U.K. with featured projects for song-making, brass bands and rural music-making, 3,000 events in more than 100 cities in China with an opening ceremony at the China Millennium Monument in Beijing, Australia's first nationwide celebration, and 200-plus events in the Nigerian cities of Lagos, Abuja and Kaduna. Also, famous buildings and landmarks in participating cities worldwide will join their U.S. counterparts in shining orange in honor of Make Music Day.
All Make Music Day events are free and open to the public. Participants who wish to perform, or to host musical events, may register in Vermont at http://www.bigheavyworld.com/makemusicvt/. A full schedule of events will be posted on the MakeMusicDay.org website in early June.
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 800 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 70 U.S. cities and the entire states of Vermont and Connecticut 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 2018 Allen (TX), Asheville (NC), Austin, Black Hills | Rapid City (SD), Boise, Boston, Bridgeport, Buffalo, Burlington (VT), Canandaigua (NY), Cary (NC), Cedar Rapids (IA), Chattanooga, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbia (SC), Columbus (OH), Connecticut (statewide), Davis (CA), Denton (TX), Detroit, El Paso, Fairfield (CT), Fullerton, Hartford, Huntsville, Iowa City, Issaquah (WA), Liberty (MO), Long Beach (CA), Los Angeles, Madison, Mauldin (SC), Mentor (OH), Miami, Middletown (CT), Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Montclair (NJ), Muskogee (OK), Nashville, New Haven, New York, Niagara Falls (NY), Nicholasville (KY), Northeast CT (Willimantic), Northwest CT (Torrington), Ossining (NY), Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Platteville (WI), Portland (ME), Port Townsend (WA), Provo, Reedsburg (WI), Rochester (NY), Roselle Park (NJ), Salem (OR), San Antonio, San Diego, San Jose, Seattle, Somerville (NJ), Southeast CT (New London), St. Louis, Stamford (CT), Suwanee (GA), Tinley Park (IL), Tucson, Vermont (statewide), Washington (DC), Waterbury (CT), Worcester and Wyoming County (NY).
About The NAMM Foundation The NAMM Foundation is a non-profit supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its 10,300 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.
About Big Heavy World Big Heavy World is a volunteer-staffed independent nonprofit music office with a mission of promoting and preserving Vermont-made music. Founded in 1996, it harnesses emerging technologies and provides an educational environment for young adults interested in supporting local music. For more information, visit bigheavyworld.com
Make Music Day Contact: Rubenstein Communications Marisa Wayne mwayne@rubenstein.com, 212-843-9216 Adam Miller amiller@rubenstein.com, 212-843-8032
Make Music VT Contact: Big Heavy World James Lockridge jim@bigheavyworld.com 802-865-1140
Related Links http://www.bigheavyworld.com/makemusicvt/ http://www.makemusicday.org
Photo: Musician Jeremy Brotz performing on the Church Street Marketplace during Make Music VT. Credit: James Lockridge/Big Heavy World. High resolution file available.
