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 Tuesday June 21st, 2022, events will occur 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. Events have ranged from Ghanaian bucket drumming to ukulele jams, early childhood music programming to a blues workshop. All events are welcome! Interested in leading an event or volunteering? Reach out to Education@heidmusic.com for more information.

How did Make Music Day begin?

It all started 40 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.

Four 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.