During the global coronavirus pandemic which shook all of our lives, the music industry was halted. Concerts were canceled, bands stopped performing, and the future of the music industry looked dreary. I was inspired, though, by the speed at which musicians adapted. Bands in New York City playing in their apartments through their windows for onlookers on the streets below went viral. Musicians such as Coldplay, and my personal favorite, Rex Orange County, hosted free instagram live concerts. Other famous musicians such as Charlie Puth and Travis Scott hosted paid virtual concerts.
Still, the end of the pandemic couldn’t come soon enough, and World Music Day 2021 (AKA Make Music Day) will be a breath of fresh air. Founded by France’s Minister of Culture and a French Composer in 1982, the aim is to provide a day of free music to all. Amateur musicians are encouraged to showcase their talents. The holiday is usually accompanied by over 5,000 free outdoor concerts. The holiday has a global impact, with over 1,000 cities in 120 countries taking part. Over 85 US cities take part.
Make music day has a variety of interesting events. For example, Leaf Music, where musicians are encouraged to use leafs to make songs. According to the official Make Music Day website, “a humble leaf becomes a reed instrument like no other. Leaf playing has a long history in many nations around the world, including China, Cambodia, Australia, Brazil, Japan and Nepal…” #MySongIsYourSong is a project to encourage artists to cover each other’s songs, and “Over 200 artists participated in the inaugural #MySongIsYourSong for Make Music Day 2020” (Make Music Day). This Moment In Time is a beautiful project to honor the millions of lives lost due to the coronavirus pandemic by playing a gong in public spaces around the world for one hour, uninterrupted. Junko Phonics, a mix of arts, crafts, and music, is a project to make instruments from scratch.
My favorite event, Window Serenades, is an opportunity for musicians to give back to their communities and provide music safely for immunocompromised elderly folk. These programs took place across the United States in 2020, and will continue into the future.
To support the event, over 40 iconic landmarks across the U.S. including Niagara Falls will turn orange in support of Make Music Day. This includes
Niagara Falls in Buffalo (NY) City Hall in Portland (ME) Waterbury Palace Theater Marquee in Waterbury (CT) Cira Centre, Cira Garage, FMC Tower, One Liberty Place and Two Liberty Place in Philadelphia (PA) Gulf Tower, Koppers Tower and One Oxford Centre in Pittsburgh (PA) Prudential Plaza and 875 North Michigan Avenue in Chicago (IL) Overture Center for the Arts in Madison (WI) Several city parks fountains in Kansas City (MO) City Hall in Houston (TX) City Hall in Beverly Hills (CA) Aloha Tower in Honolulu (HI) If you want to take part in world music day and your town is not included, that’s no problem. World Music Day is an event for all, and it is easy to get involved locally. With their expansive group of musicians all around the world though, many of us are just miles from a free concert.
While cultures around the world have their own individual and unique styles of music, World Music Day embodies unity. As people from nations around the world come together for a day of song, we’re all more connected than it seems at first glance.
Check out the link in the Call to Action section if you would like to participate!
