Make Music York County 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.
About
What is Make Music Day?
Make Music Day is an annual celebration that occurs each June 21, when people in more than 1,000 cities around the world make music together on the summer solstice.
In York County, Pennsylvania, Make Music Day was been celebrated by Menchey Music for many years, and in 2022, Menchey teamed up with the York County Cultural Alliance to push this even out to reach more of the County. Now, Make Music Day is a large, collaborative celebration with a hub of activity in Downtown York, and additional events being hosted in libraries and other locations around town.
Why join Make Music Day?
Make Music Day brings joy, inspires creativity, and transforms communities. It celebrates and promotes the natural music maker in all of us, regardless of ability. We understand the variety of benefits that making music provides to our physical and mental wellbeing, as well as an enriched sense of community!
Thank you to our local sponsors for supporting Make Music Day!
Thank you to Lovedrafts Unplugged for feeding our musicians and volunteers!
Events
2023 Make Music Day, York County Events:
(Updated 6/14/23)
Click here to download the Schedule and Map of Walkable Locations
Event details and additional events will be added through June. There will be a main hub of events, including the piano marathon happening in Continental Square in Downtown York during the day!
Continental Square NE Corner
From 12-5pm there will be hands on lessons for kids and adults to try out, as well as intermittent performances by Sergio, Junior and Peter of the Shine Music Foundation.
12:00pm-1:00pm: Intro to Harmonica Lesson and jam time with Daine Russel (harmonica’s provided and can be kept by participants).
12:00-2:00pm: Guitar playalong and lessons with Rod Goelz and and Violin Meetup and intro lesson with Megan Dawn. Join teachers from Shine Music Foundation outside their new location, instruments will be provided!
12:00pm-5:00pm: Percussion Playalong with Shine Music Foundation and Louis Woodard, and Andrew Gobel. Available instruments to play are Panyard Jambie Jam Steel Drums, Boomwhackers and various other percussion instruments!
RalphReal will also be setup teaching participants electronic music and beat-making!
5:30pm: Meet up for a final full performance with anyone and everyone to play Ode to Joy together followed by the Make Music Day Kazoo Parade from Continental Square, through Cherry Lane, to the Courtyard at Gift Horse Brewing for the Drum Circle. Kazoos will be provided!
Continental Square SW Corner
12:00-6:00pm: The York Music Teachers Association is featuring a piano MARATHON! Outside of the Rupp Building near Prince St. Cafe, the piano will play continuously from 12-5:00pm featuring a variety of musicians a styles. Anyone is welcome to drop in and participate!
Featured Pianists:
12-1: Liz Pappion
1-2: Michael Gilliland
2-3: Kelsey Robertson
3-3:30: Randy Yoder
3:30-4: Victor Fields
4-5: Matt Monticchio
Cherry Lane Park
10:00-11:00: Kent Nazareth Yoga Man blend music with movement in this fun and interactive performance especially for kids!
11:30-1:30: Join us for a special bonus Box Lunch Revue featuring Ronn and Ian’s Snack Club. Ronn and Ian get everyone playing along, we’ll have shakers, tambourines, drum sticks and more!
1:45-2:30: Sunny 4Cast Barbershop Quartet. Led by David Kelley, come hear this small group from the White Rose Chorus!
3:00-4:30: Nodding Onion Plant Music. Nodding Onion uses Plant Wave technology to boost the electromagnetic waves of plants, and then improvises alongside them.
String Fling!
12:00pm-5:00pm: String Fling will offer short performances during the afternoon underneath the overhang at 14 W. Market St., directly across from Cherry Lane and will feature professional and student musicians.
The string musicians will offer easy access to “audience participation” with foam violins for young kids, real wood violins for older kids/adults to try and an electric violin provided by Menchey Music! Bring your own instrument to play along, or try one of ours!
York County Libraries
Martin Library: 10am for kids, 2pm for Teens
Join the THEM Collective in writing and performing music in their incredibly unique program.
Dover Library, 10am
will feature Kindermusic programming by Windham Music Studios!
Glen Rock Libary: 1pm
Kindermusic program with Windham Music Studios!
Kaltreider-Benfer Library 1pm-3pm
Kids of any age can write their own songs alongside talented music teacher Matt Monticcio.
Village Library, 10:15am
Join in on Flowerpot Music with Steph Cucina! Flowerpot music is a very simple program where kids learn to play along together using a single percussion mallet and a flowerpot. Flowerpots will be provided but you’re more than welcome to bring your own!
Organ Crawl
1pm-3:30pm: Downtown York Walking Organ Tour! Come along with Dan Brownell as he provides exclusive access to York’s finest organs including the opportunity for anyone to “try it, you’ll like it!” at the organ console, then play a portion of something really recognizable. Audience members will be encouraged to walk to the next location to hear more…and try another organ!
- 1pm-First Presbyterian Church (225 East Market Street)
- 1:30pm-Trinity UCC
- 2pm-St John Episcopal (140 North Beaver Street)
- 2pm-Heidelberg UCC (47 West Philadelphia Street)
- 3pm-Capitol Theater (50 North George Street) led by the Susquehanna Valley Theater Organ Society
Unique Locations
Yorktowne Hotel
4:00-6:00pm:
Cocktail Hour Jazz at the Yorktowne: classic jazz in a classy place:
4pm: Randy Yoder
5pm: Jeff Stabley
6-8 pm: Blaze Fogle’s Right Hand Jazz Quartet
Creative York: 12pm-4pm
Creative York’s front sidewalk will play host to Yorks newest School of Rock! Kids can try out electric guitars and rock instruments.
Noels Rock Shop: 2pm-5pm
York’s newest music store is open on Make Music Day! Stop by and say hello (and Happy Birthday!) to Scott, the owner!
Keystone Kidspace: 2:30-5pm
Kids can make their own musical instrument, as well as offer access to their pianos and drum kit, in partnership with Studio 117.
Harmony Cafe Courtyard: 3pm-6pm
Help paint one of the York Art Associations pianos that will temporarily live in the courtyard outside of Harmony Cafe!
Heidelberg UCC: 4-5:00pm
Andy Milsten Senior Piano Recital featuring solo piano music by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Debussy, and Mendelssohn.
Lovedrafts Unplugged: 4pm-10pm
Say thank you to our food sponsor who is graciously feeding all of our musicians on Make Music Day by joining us for a little afterparty (or anytime) at Lovedrafts Unplugged!
All Day: The York Art Association will be unveiling their decorated street pianos around York City!
Pianos will be installed by noon.
Joyful Noise and Kazoo Parade
Our largest group performance of the day! Gather with us by 5:30pm on Continental Square to play Ode to Joy together on any instrument, in one big group!
As soon as you hear Ode to Joy, we hope you will join in!
Kazoos will be provided for all participants, and around 6pm we will be led parade-style down to Gift Horse Brewing who will host our largest drum-circle to date in their courtyard following a 1 year anniversary ribbon cutting at the brewery!
Learn and Explore Playhouse will be open with a multitude of instruments for kids to try out throughout the day!
Make Music Day After Dark
Stick around into the evening as a variety of bars and restaurants host karaoke nights, pub singalong, open mics and music performances.
Songs for a Summer’s Evening: Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde, Act II 7 pm at Christ Lutheran Church with soprano Leah Crowne, pianist Scott Crowne and guest artists. This is a “pay what you will event”.
PUB SINGS
Kind of like karaoke but not quite. Plan your evening out and raucously sing along with our song leaders to well-known tunes.
All Pub sings are 8:00-9:00pm
Location 1: First Cap Dispensing Company led by Connor Green
Location 2: Archetype Pizza
Location 3: The Cantina
5:00-7:00pm: Jazz Night at The Parliament with Casta Cigars, featuring DJ Gigi Marrero and Coco Shantelle!
9:00pm-Midnight: Open Mic Night at First Cap Dispensing Co.
Additional live music, karaoke and pub sing locations will be added up until the event!
Participate
ANYONE can participate in, or host an event for Make Music Day York County!
There are THREE ways to get involved.
Find the most up to date list of events on our York365.com event page or our Facebook page, and join us on June 21st!
Are you a venue (restaurant, library or other location) or a musician or music teacher interested in planning an event with support and promotion from MMD York County?
Register here.
Do love people, love York, love music, and would like to get involved with Make Music Day? We need volunteers to attend events, help kids with music making, give directions and more! Fill out our volunteer form to see where you can help!
To Host an Event:
Step 1: Brainstorm ideas for interactive events that you or your business/organization can host on Tuesday, June 21
Step 2: Secure a location and friends/volunteers, whatever you need to make your event possible!
Need help finding a location? Start by creating your event on our MMD portal
Parks, small businesses, community service organizations and libraries are all great places to reach out to to host events.
Step 3: List your event on www.york365.com and we’ll tag it as a MMD event, and promote it on this page.
Step 4: Make Music! We will stay in touch in the time leading up to the event to make sure you have promotional materials and any support you need.
Contact us for help whenever you need it!
Email: yorkcounty@makemusicday.org
Ideas for Make Music Day Events
As a Business or Organization:
- Invite musicians to meet up outside a local nursing home and play “window serenades” to those inside.
- Host a day of outdoor concerts/showcases/open mics for the lesson-taking students in your community.
- Host a workshop to make instruments from recycled or non-traditional materials
As a Musician:
- Host an outdoor drum circle.
- Host an outdoor jam session that day with friends
- Set up to busk in Downtown York
- Teach first-time musicians how to play the ukulele or harmonica, virtually or in person.
- Host an outdoor guitar strum–along for customers and community members.
Music retailers and suppliers around the country have found their own creative ways to make an impact with Make Music Day. Click here to hear their stories.
Support
Make Music Day York County is hosted by the Cultural Alliance of York County
The Cultural Alliance of York COunty brings arts and culture to life through contributions by individuals and companies who recognize the vital role that the arts play in the lives of York County citizens.
You can support future Make Music Day efforts by contributing to the Cultural Alliance of York County at www.culturalyork.org/donate
Contact
Get in touch with us at yorkcounty@makemusicday.org