About

Make Music Day Appleton is part of the international Fête de la Musique, taking place in 1,000 cities across more than 120 countries every year on June 21 – the summer solstice.  It is designed to celebrate music in all its forms and encourages people to band together to play free public concerts.

In the U.S., Make Music Day is presented by The NAMM Foundation, and coordinated by the Make Music Alliance.  This year on Monday June 21st, 2021, events will be virtual and in-person at various locations in Appleton.

Make Music Day Appleton is for anyone and everyone! It is open to all ages, skill levels, and any musical category.

How did Make Music Day begin?

It all started 39 years ago in France.

In 1982, France’s Ministry of Culture dreamed up an idea for a new kind of musical holiday. They imagined a day where free, live music would be everywhere: street corners and parks, rooftops and gardens, store fronts and mountaintops.

And, unlike a typical music festival, anyone and everyone would be invited to join and play music, or host performances. The event would take place on the summer solstice, June 21, and would be called Fête De La Musique. (In French, the name means both “festival of music” and “make music!”)

Amazingly enough, this dream has come true. The Fête has turned into a true national holiday: France shuts down on the summer solstice and musicians take over. Almost 8% of the country (5 million people) have played an instrument or sung in public for the Fête de la Musique.

Three decades later, the holiday has spread throughout the world and is now celebrated in more than 120 countries. In the U.S., the presenting sponsor is the NAMM Foundation.

Participate

Anyone and everyone is invited to participate in Make Music Day. All age groups, skill levels, and type of music are welcome! There will be virtual and in-person scheduled events throughout the day for Monday, June 21, 2021. Check back often for updates on events!

Interested in performing, teaching, or collaborating? Email Education@HeidMusic.com for more information.

Events:

• 12:00 p.m. in Houdini Plaza. Five IndUS musicians will perform live to celebrate Make Music Day.
• 12:00 p.m. at The History Museum at the Castle. Gongs will be rung around the world as a part of the international event A Moment in Time commemorating lives lost due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
• 1:00 p.m. at the Grove. Next to Taste of Thai, across the street from the History Museum at the Castle, percussionist Alex Quade will lead a bucket drumming workshop focusing on Ghanaian rhythms. Limited supplies of buckets and drumsticks will be provided. Drumsticks are provided courtesy of D’addario!
• 1:00 p.m. in the back mural lot at Heid Music. Piano instructor Bruce Koestner and students will perform a recital.
• 2:00 p.m. in the back mural lot at Heid Music. Open mic at Heid Music! Bring your own instrument, first come first serve, and feel free to reserve a spot in advance by reaching out to Education@heidmusic.com.
• 3:00 p.m. in the back mural lot at Heid Music. Learn about the blues in a workshop/jam hosted by Heid Music Rock U coach Jenna Kopitske https://jennakopitske.com/
• 3:00 p.m. outside of the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center at Thrivent Employee Plaza. Hosted in partnership with Building for Kids, participants will be led by members of IndUS of the Fox Valley in creating bell anklets and learning their role in traditional Indian dance. An interactive movement workshop will follow featuring live music and instrument exploration.
• 4:00 p.m. in the back mural lot at Heid Music. Local duo Natural Satellite will perform https://www.naturalsatellitemusic.com/
• 5:00 p.m. in the back mural lot at Heid Music. Heid Music will be hosting an in-person uke jam! Come join the ukulele fun!
• 6:30 p.m. virtually on Heid Music’s Facebook and YouTube, participate in learning how to beatbox on a flute with Trevor James Flutes artist Dr. Keith Hanlon
• 8:00 p.m. on foxcitiespac.com/feedthedog. Local band Feed the Dog will perform a live concert streamed from Rock Garden Studio at 8 p.m.

To see more details regarding events hosted by the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center please visit: https://foxcitiespac.com/about/news-and-information/virtual-mission/make-music-day 

Harmonica Lesson Marathon: All Day, participate in the Harmonica Lesson Marathon! Heid Music has free harmonicas that can be picked up through Monday, June 21 at all 5 Heid Music locations, courtesy of Hohner! To claim your harmonica, fill out this form, then a Heid Music team member will contact you when it is ready for pick up, while supplies last. The Harmonica Lesson Marathon can be found here: http://makemusicday.org/harmonica

Flight Ukulele Lesson Marathon: All day, participate in the Flight Ukulele Lesson Marathon! Flight Ukulele artists will be holding virtual workshops throughout the day, showcasing techniques such as Reggae, Slide, Blues, Fingerpicking and more! Tune into their virtual workshops to learn and grow with your uke!

My Song is Your Song: artists around the world are invited to the second annual global song swap! Learn a song by another artist, and hear yours covered in return. Songwriters and composers of all styles and walks of life are invited to participate. www.makemusicday.org/songswap. Registration deadline is May 31.

Global Livestream: a day-long video stream on June 21 showing the rich diversity of Make Music Day events around the world. www.makemusicday.org/national-projects/live-streaming/ 

Junkophonics: create instruments from found objects! Although you may think it’s “junk”, it may actually be an instrument. Learn how to build instruments from the performers and educators at Bash the Trash Environmental Arts. www.makemusicday.org/national-projects/junkophonics/

Mark your calendars for Monday, June 21, 2021!

Contact

Are you a musician with performance ideas, a teacher who would like to share music education, a venue that would like to provide space for music, or have questions about Make Music Day Appleton? Feel free to reach out to us at Education@HeidMusic.com

We are always looking for individuals who want to support music in our community!

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