MAKE MUSIC DAY | Original Denton

JUNE 21, 2020

What is it?

Denton has participated in International Make Music Day since 2018. The first Make Music Day Denton was celebrated with live and interactive music on the Historic Denton County Courthouse lawn, where the double bassists from Bradetich Foundation Camp performed an open jam for all ages and mass ukulele lessons were also held. In the afternoon, boomwhackers, hand drums, and harmonicas were played by the TWU Department of Music and Theatre. Later that evening, Thursday Twilight Tunes performed, followed by a TB Winds Jazz Jam with Cosmotropolis.

This year, social distancing has challenged organizers to develop new ways to connect people with music. We have created virtual events such as Facebook Lives and provided ideas for maintaining social distance through small gatherings or staying at home. We hope you will try some of these fun activities to express yourself and let your inner musician come alive.

Want to play? There's always room in the band.

We invite musicians, rappers and instrumentalists of all kinds to collaborate on June 21 to make 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.

DENTON SCHEDULE

Join our Facebook event

NEIGHBORHOOD

LAWN JAM

PARTY

SHOW US

YOUR MUSIC

GOLDEN TRIANGLE MALL

BASH

THE

TRASH

Bedroom

Studio

Live From

Home Challenge

Mass

Appeal

25 X 12:

Live

Online

Lessons

Window

Serenades

Flower Pot

Music

Global

Livestream

World's Smallest

Marching Band

About Make Music

Last year, over 1,000 cities around the world threw citywide music celebrations on June 21.

It all started 38 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.

Three 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.