June 21 is Make Music Day, an annual celebration of “the natural music maker in all of us.” Begun in France in 1982 as Fête de la Musique, from the beginning Make Music Day has aimed to spotlight the intrinsic joy of playing music in community. Today, thousands of cities in more than 120 countries celebrate the day, with participants ranging from the famous professional to the everyday layperson. Free concerts, impromptu jams and dance parties, social media posts, and music lessons are all part of Make Music Day, and we encourage all North Carolinians to participate. Because June 21 marks the summer solstice—the longest day of the year—you will have ample daylight to do so.
Last year, we commemorated Make Music Day as Come Hear NC Music Day. More than 45 North Carolina artists posted videos for the day, all shared on the Come Hear NC social media channels. From Ben Folds to local arts council jams to little kids banging pots and pans, the event highlighted our state’s love of music and the diverse musical talents and/or passions of Tar Heels young and old. The performances shared on Come Hear NC’s Instagram account ranged in genre and location from old-time hoedowns in a field to radio freestyles and synth-and-drum machine workouts in a home music room. Last year, user-submitted posts drew upwards of 51,000 views in 24 states, making the event a great opportunity to share your art with the state and nation.
In a state that gave rise both to the Watson Family’s jams and 9th Wonder’s living room beat making, Make Music Day has always been a natural fit for North Carolina. You could say it’s been make music day every day for centuries here: we’ve long embodied the event’s do-it-yourself ethos.
So, whether you play country or folk, sing gospel or ballads, make hard techno or soft rock, or drum on elaborate kits or children’s park toys, on June 21 send us a video of your performance (tagged #MakeMusicDayNC and sent to Come Hear NC’s social media @ComeHearNC). We expect the day to be one of the happiest of the year for the Come Hear NC Music Office, because it allows us to do what we most love: amplify the joyous creativity of North Carolina’s everyday music lovers, budding songsters, and world-famous professionals.
For those looking to learn more, we've put together a Make Music Day NC toolkit [PDF]. A toolkit created by the national Make Music Day organization is also available.