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!
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Thank you to our local sponsors for supporting Make Music Day!
Events
2023 Make Music Day, York County Events:
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!
12:00pm-2:00pm: Guitar and Violin Meetup and intro lesson. Join teachers from Shine Music Foundation outside their new location, instruments will be provided!
2:00-2:45pm: Intro to Harmonica Lesson with Dane Russel (harmonica’s provided and can be kept by participants).
12:00pm-5:00pm: Percussion Playalong with Shine Music Foundation. Available instruments to play are Panyard Jambie Jam Steel Drums, Boomwhackers and various other percussion instruments!
5:00pm: Meet up for 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 from 12-6pm featuring a variety of musicians a styles!
Cherry Lane Park
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.
York County Libraries
Martin Library, Dover Library and Kaltreider-Benfer Library, Village Library, and Dillsburg Library will be hosting individual music-making events to get kids involved in making music together! Times to be announced soon.
Organ Tour
12pm-2pm: Downtown York Walking Organ Tour! Come along with Dan Brownell as he provides exclusive access to York’s finest organs.
- First Presbyterian Church (225 East Market Street)
- St John Episcopal (140 North Beaver Street)
- Heidelberg UCC (47 West Philadelphia Street)
- Capitol Theater (50 North George Street)
Unique Locations
6:00-8:00pm: Blaze Fogle’s Right Hand Jazz Quartet will perform at the newly remodeled Yorktowne Hotel. Enjoy drinks or dinner in their lobby at the same time!
5:30pm: Gift Horse Brewing will host our largest drum-circle to date in their courtyard following a 1 year anniversary ribbon cutting at the brewery!
5:00-6:30pm: Keystone Kidspace Activity, details TBA!
All Day: The York Art Association will be unveiling their decorated street pianos around York City!
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.
PUB SINGS
Kind of like karaoke but not quite. Plan your evening out at the Handsome Cab, Archetype Pizza or Holy Hound and raucously sing along with our song leaders to well-known tunes. Individual events start around 7:30pm
5:00-7:00pm: Jazz Night at The Parliament with Casta Cigars
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