Make Music Black Hills is a live, free musical celebration on June 21, the longest day of the year, with concerts on streets, sidewalks, and parks across the city.
Last year, over 800 cities around the world threw citywide music celebrations on June 21.
It all started in France…
In 1982, Jack Lang and his staff at the Ministry of Culture dreamed up an idea for a new kind of musical holiday. They imagined a day where free music would be everywhere, all around the city: street corners, parks, rooftops, gardens, and storefronts.
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, and 53% of the country (35 million people) comes out each year to listen.
Three decades later, the holiday has spread throughout the world and is now celebrated in more than 700 cities in 120 different countries.
Want to play? There’s always room in the band.
We invite musicians, rappers, and instrumentalists of all kinds to collaborate on making June 21 a musical masterpiece. Singers, church choirs, jazz combos, rock bands, glee clubs, MCs, marching bands, mariachis, and every other kind of musician, of any age group or skill level, are all welcome.
More Artists and Venues will be added as we get closer to June 21st!
2020 Make Music Day Schedule!
Band members, left-to-right:
Cliff Riffle plays guitar and ukulele, sings in the band, composes songs, teaches ukulele lessons, and in 2019 completed a coast-to-coast US tour, playing concerts with his son.
Tom Sitzler plays drums and sings in the band. An SD Rock & Roll Hall of Famer (times 2!), he also plays for D D & the Fayrohs and Midnight Sun.
Tiffany Brett plays violin in the band, cares for her family, home schools her children, & teaches violin lessons.
Jim Gardiner leads the band, plays piano, sings, and is a neuropsychologist who uses music to train the brain.
The band brings a combined total of 200+ years of musical experience.
Our goal is to bring you fun and joy through music!
Originality comes easy when your musical influences span seven decades, and that’s precisely what you get from Startz and Endz. Since it’s inception in 2009, the band has set themselves apart with their genre-defying style of jam rock, mixing classic rock roots with funky blues, a country twang and a hint of ska and reggae. Every song is uniquely infectious, with cleverly crafted lyrics and melodies that are easy to sing along with, and there is something for everyone to dance to. Live shows feature an eclectic mix of cover songs as well. Classic tracks from the Grateful Dead are staples in their sets, but on a given night, you could hear anything from 50’s rock and roll to 90’s country or hits from today’s pop radio. There is no telling where the band might take you during a live performance, but it is always going to be a good time.
Back in the studio after an extended hiatus, they are busy writing and recording new material for an album slated for release in 2020.
Thank You To Our Sponsors!
“South Dakota Arts Council support is provided with funds from the State of South Dakota, through the Department of Tourism, and the National Endowment for the Arts.”
Donations can be made through our Fiscal Sponsor’s website:
Welcome to Make Music Black Hills! Make Music Black Hills falls on Father’s Day! Treat your special guy! Hay Camp Brewing Company will be pairing this specially crafted brew with a Krispy Kreme Doughnut! Breakfast Pub is a cold brew coffee blendContinue Reading »
Congratulations to all who took part in another record-setting Make Music Day! More than 4,590 music-making events took place in over 2,200 locations around the U.S. on June 21, along with tens of thousands of musicians in 120 countries around the world who celebrated the day.
Read all about it, including new coverage in the Associated Press, CBS News, and USA Today!
2019 – National Coverage
“People Are Flooding the Streets in France for a Country-wide Dance Party – Here’s How to Join in the Fun,” by Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, June 21, 2019
“Annual Make Music Day brings concerts, jam sessions,” Associated Press, June 21, 2019
“A free annual festival celebrating music and music-making,” Associated Press, April 23, 2015
“On June 21, Celebrate Make Music Day,” Wall Street Journal Live, June 19, 2015
“Make Music Day Plots 2,250 Free Concerts Nationwide,” by Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, June 18. 2015
“Chad Smith on Make Music Day,” Late Night with Seth Meyers, June 15, 2015
“Jazz Lives At Duke Ellington’s Resting Place,” by Anastasia Tsioulcas, NPR Music: Jazz Night in America, July 2, 2015
“Your Creative Calendar: 91 Things to Do, See, and Hear This June,” by Joe Berkowitz, Fast Company, June 5, 2015
“Sweetwater Takes Make Music Day to the Community,” Making Music Magazine, June 11, 2015
Allied Arts Fund
GiGi Lage, Executive Director
(605) 394-4106
executive@alliedartsrc.org