Every year, the world unites around the power of music. The event is called Make Music Day, and was originally founded in Paris in 1982. It was called Fête de la Musique – a celebration of music that has since captivated the world. Today, the event is held on the 21st of June, the Summer Solstice, with a mission of igniting music interest in amateurs and professionals alike. The central concept behind the day-long event is that anyone can create and share music, from anywhere. But it has to be free, which means that it is truly a selfless day to encourage people to partake in as many outlets possible. That means playing a guitar on a front porch or playing the harmonica on the Metro Rail (properly social distancing of course).
My friend Jacky Zee chimed in on this music oriented conversation. Below is what she had to say:
Some of you know me from the Variety Show, or maybe Green Gymnast C.C., or JaBBy the Clown, or maybe just as myself.
I’m here to you to remind you Make Music Day is taking place on Sunday, June 21st (same day every year).
What you choose to do on that day is entirely up to you. This is a positive movement which basically has ‘the world’ focusing on creating music all day long, from 10am to 10pm. Not only will there be organic music making, there will also be other music-related aspects, such as possibly some dancing, costumed performers, and/or people simply having fun celebrating the Summer Solstice.
As part of the music celebration, the Peace Bridge has been lit up in the past, and several venues have participated – when the virus was not in the picture.
Since things are a little different these days, we’re looking at some alternate routes, musically, that people can take. For example, St. Michael’s Church might possibly allow musicians to share music, and act as a venue for anyone interested in taking part. Other than that, most of the performances (if not all) will most likely be performed at home or virtually. There are projects like window singing, and “The Flowerpot Project” which encourage everyone – even non musicians – to get involved and create some type of sound.
I feel like the bigger picture behind this is to simply create art (music specifically) rather than anything else. This alone will contribute to making the world a more peaceful place, or at least we can hope.
In the near future, I will set up pertinent hashtags, to amplify #MakeMusicDay. If you have ideas to share, please feel free to send them along, or tell your friends, or anyone you know who might be interested. Feel free to contact me directly at greengcc@yahoo.com.
Some questions to consider are: Why do you create Music/Art? Who or What inspires you? What got you started? What keeps you going?
On June 21st, musically inclined community members can post Make Music Day occurrences on social media platforms, including pictures, videos, quotes, or anything else music related. Thanks for participating in the 2020 Make Music Day event, as Buffalo participates in the world wide celebration once again.
For those who are participating, click here to get materials for putting together your own posters and flyers.
Stay tuned for more to come on Make Music Day in coming days. To see what cities all around the world are up to, click here. And be sure to mark your calendars for the big day!
Also, be sure to stay alerted to celebratory participation by one of the groups that originally kicked it all off in Buffalo – Alliance Française de Buffalo. We will also be updating the Make Music Day Buffalo Facebook page as well, as the date draws near.