Make Music Day 2020: Big Heavy World's Stream

Big Heavy World will be hosting a live-stream on June 21, with multiple studios around Vermont participating.

June 21st, the first day of summer, is recognized as Make Music Day in over a hundred countries worldwide. Since its conception in France in 1982, the day has been about the celebration of music and musical artists by means of encouraging the public to play music outdoors and in large groups, usually in public spaces. For the past few years, Big Heavy World has been leading the charge in Vermont to continue Make Music Day’s tradition. But this year’s event poses a very potent question: how do you have a musical event when people can’t go within six feet of each other? One of the answers, as many schools and businesses have now also adopted, is online. Hence, this year will see the first ever virtual Make Music Day.

This year’s Make Music Day will be featuring not just solo artists live streaming through their laptops, but a full-studio environment in which whole bands can be together to perform. To accomplish this Big Heavy World has been in contact with multiple studios across Vermont including Boarding Gate Studios, The Underground, West Street Digital, A9 Studio, and Robot Dog Studio. The plan is that on June 21st, Big Heavy World will stream performances from different studios with their own sets of artists from noon until 6 pm, hopping from studio to studio for maximum content. I had the privilege to meet with Andre Maquera (virtually), the owner of West Street Digital, to get an idea behind how the event is being planned and carried out.

When asked what his concerns were with COVID-19 and the number of artists to potentially be in his studio, Andre responded: “We’re painfully aware of it all. Because that’s the first question the artists have asked me: ‘you think it will be safe?’” In regards to what precautions are being taken, Andre continued by saying: “I’ve been figuring out the social distancing spacing in the context of the studio. It’s important to respect the expectations of maintaining safe distances, following the public mandates that are out there now, keeping the whole studio clean and sanitary, especially since we’re having bands come in.”

Andre also clarifies that their precautions for COVID extend to the technical side of production as well. With limited studio space, a large number of expected guests and a minimum of six feet between people, the studio will be near capacity. To accommodate this, a “multi-camera setup” will be used so that every artist within a band can stay visible and at a safe distance (especially from singers, or as Andre calls them “super spreaders” for how easily COVID can be transmitted through someone singing, and that you can’t really sing well with a mask). The bottom line is that precautions are being taken, and it has both influenced the conception of the event and the execution of it.

Another good question to bring up here is simply: why bother with Make Music Day at all? What is the value of continuing an event like this when everyone is cooped up indoors? While that is a good question worth asking, I think there’s a better one to pose: That if we didn’t go through all this just to continue it, then was Make Music Day worth having to begin with? Would any of our traditions be worth anything if they weren’t worth pulling through these hard times with us? There have been a good number of events cancelled in light of the pandemic, and it feels like the only ones that get to continue are the ones people care the most for, and the ones people are most willing to give towards. I’d say that the fact that this many people are willing to go this distance and set up so much shows the magnitude to which Make Music Day matters to the music community.

To this, Andre also had an answer. He worked as a traveling musician for over twenty years with his passion continuing all the way till today, and to that end he said: “Well, see I have the luxury that for me, every day is Make Music Day, and I think it’s just always good to be in the forefront of people’s awareness. Just to remind people that ‘hey, don’t find some other thing to do, music is still here, come on back.’ Because one thing about Vermont is that—I don’t want to sound corny but—there’s a certain respect and love for artistry in Vermont. And I think difficult times are when we need music and distraction more than ever.”

With passionate, hard-working musicians and enthusiasts at its forefront it’s not hard to connect the dots as to why and how Make Music Day is continuing once again this year. Despite the pandemic outside and the challenges of production, the people behind the scenes at Big Heavy World and every studio taking part have displayed their dedication to the cause and the holiday at large. You can see their efforts come to life this Make Music Day, on Sunday, June 21st, 2020, through the comfort of your own screen.

Text by Thomas Himmield.

Photo by Vincent Freeman of The Underground studio.