Tomorrow, June 21, join the environmentally friendly
Make Music Day starting at 9 a.m. Eastern to participate in the international
Fête de la Musique, taking place in over 1,000 cities across 120 countries. This Make Music Day,
Bash the Trash Environmental Arts is raising awareness about trash pollution by building fun instruments from found objects. The organization has promoted, as it says on its website,
building, performing & educating with musical instruments made from trash since 1991. "These amazing instruments tackle issues of waste and offer us an opportunity to look at 'trash' in a new way," according to a statement.
The daylong, musical free-for-all celebrates music in all its forms, encouraging people to band together and play in free public concerts. Over 85 U.S. cities and the entire states of Vermont,
Connecticut, Hawaii and Wisconsin are participating in this year’s celebration, which will be virtual due to
COVID-19.
Participants can join Bash the Trash musicians on a video call to get tips from instrument builders, share their creations and play them with others. Folks who want to show off their instruments, ask questions and participate with the Bash The Trash-ers can register on Zoom, and anyone else can watch live on YouTube.
A huge departure from a traditional music festival, Make Music Day celebrates and promotes the natural music maker in all of us, regardless of age, ethnicity, background or skill level. Make Music Day is an open invitation for everyone to make, enjoy, perform, teach and learn music on the longest day of the year and the first day of summer. Typically featuring over 5,000 free outdoor music making events in public spaces across the U.S., this year’s celebration is different because it's virtual but will be no less enthusiastic.
Launched in France in 1982 as the aforementioned
Fête de la Musique, Make Music Day has become a popular festival observed by would-be and actual musicians in over 1,000 cities spanning 120 countries.
Tonight, you can head to Ridgefield for a special "Grease" Drive-in Movie Sing-along: an evening showing of the movie in the parking lot of the local high school accompanied by downloadable lyrics for a sing-along will serve as the launch of the local MMD celebration.
Other Make Music Day national highlights include:
• 25x12: Live Online Lessons – Music teachers in the U.S. and worldwide will offer 12 hours of free, online group lessons for 25 different instruments, from beginning to advanced levels. Jump around to sample a range of instruments or binge on 12 straight hours of your favorite. The lessons will be available via Zoom Conference.
• Bash the Trash – Bash the Trash Environmental Arts educators will teach participants how to make instruments from found objects on which to play “Ode To Joy” and “Baby Shark.”
• Flowerpot Music – Music will emanate from flowerpots in New York (NY), Hartford (CT), Chicago (IL), Philadelphia (PA) and elsewhere. Written by award-winning composer Elliott Cole and directed by percussionist Peter Perry, “Flowerpot Music” is a composition for an unlikely but beautiful instrument: the flowerpot!
• Global Livestream – The Make Music Alliance is organizing an all-day video stream showcasing the rich diversity of music making events globally.
• Live From Home – Record a musical performance from home on MMD, and tag three friends to challenge them to do the same. Among the participating artists are Tower of Power.
• Mass Appeal – People will gather online to make music in large, single-instrument groups in what is a unique musical happening. Mass Appeals being offered this year are The Heart Chant, Bucket Drumming and Mass Appeal Harmonicas.
• #MySongIsYourSong – Musicians will join in a global song swap where they’ll learn a song by another artist, and hear theirs covered in return. All performers should use the hashtag #MySongIsYourSong.
Make Music Day is presented by the NAMM Foundation and coordinated by the non-profit Make Music Alliance. For more information, please visit www.makemusicday.org. Here is the Zoom registration link: bit.ly/BTTxMMD and here’s the link to the YouTube Live stream: https://youtu.be/IzEloXAjguQ.
PHOTO: Kids participate in Make Music Day, credit Erika Kapin Photography
Make Music Day is happening all over the world; here is a list of cities.
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