by Andrea Pelloquin, West Music Company
June 21st was Make Music Day in more than 800 cities in more than 120 countries, celebrating the love of making music in our communities. Events are free and open to anyone who wants to participate. Our RPMDA member organizations took advantage of the occasion to showcase both the talents of their employees and the talents of their communities! Here is a sampling of the events that occurred – we are proud of our members and their involvement!
Alfred Music (Van Nuys, CA) – Alfred sponsored free lessons for guitar and ukulele through 37 guitar and 58 ukulele Mass Appeal events around the country, providing free Alfred songbooks so everyone could play along. Alfred also treated employees to hot dogs, chips, and drinks to celebrate Make Music Day. Employees got together to play some familiar tunes (taken from the Mass Appeal Guitar Songbook) with acoustic instruments in the company’s courtyard.
“When celebrating within our business complex, our goal is to motivate and inspire surrounding businesses with experiencing the joy of making music.” – Alex R. Ordonez, Vice President – Marketing
Brass Bell Music (Milwaukee, WI) – Brass Bell was the official Make Music Milwaukee sponsor for Make Music Day. They coordinated 51 performances at different 18 venues, including libraries, nursing homes, parks, beer gardens (of course), and museums across Milwaukee. Events included ukulele and band and orchestra “petting zoos,” performances by lesson students, teachers, and staff, and social media coverage.
“This event is very important for us to participate in because we are committed to supporting music in our community. Milwaukee is frequently cited as the most segregated city in America. Make Music Day is an opportunity to show that music is the great equalizer, that every person deserves access to live music performances, and music is an activity every single person can share in together regardless of the other factors that divide us.” – Sarah Fleming, Store Manager
Groth Music (Bloomington, MN) – Groth Music filled their store with continuous music from open to close! Performances featured both employee and community talent, including such performances as a brass trio, a blues jam, an avant garde electric bass, and a ukulele jam session!
“Make Music Day is important for us in that it drives store traffic, gives employees a chance to play for each other and to continue growth through music everywhere.” – Nate Stoerzinger
Hal Leonard Corporation (Milwaukee, WI) – The staff at Hal Leonard created a music video on the steps of their building in Milwaukee. They played and sang “The Greatest Show” from The Greatest Showman.
Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoMa9YYGD-Q
“The essence of Make Music Day to me is celebrating and building community through music. So, it was important for us to channel that with our involvement. We brought in musicians from all different departments to bring our performance to life. It was great to see people get to know one another better and be introduced to each other through this project. It felt to me as if we really tapped into the spirit of Make Music Day.” – Joe Howard, Account Manager – M.I. Division / Event Organizer
Kidder Music (Peoria, IL) – Kidder did an in-store ukulele giveaway, a $50 gift card drawing via social media (people took pictures of themselves making music with #MakeMusicWithKidder to enter), and did a kazoo giveaway to anyone who would play a song on them in the store. Lesson students were invited to play in the store, and a local restaurant came in to cater lunch!
“Make Music Day is a great way for us to give back to the community that supports us. By sheer luck, our giveaways both went to customers who are in all the time, one of whom was a lesson student in our studios. The store was busy with people that were excited to make music!” – Lydia Riley, Lessons Coordinator
Luck’s Music Library (Madison Heights, MI) – The Luck’s staff took their business of selling orchestral sheet music to good use! They recreated some of the most famous musical themes on office equipment and posted the video on Facebook for a “name that tune!” challenge. The post had a reach of 2,600 with 1,500 views, 15 shares and produced many page likes. People loved guessing – it was very interactive and caught the attention of a diverse audience from major orchestra librarians to middle school teachers and everything in between.
Watch the video – can you guess the tunes? https://www.facebook.com/lucksmusiclibrary/videos/2076112115755846/
“Make Music Day is such a great way to share the joy that music brings and why it is so important to have in our schools and daily lives.” – Amy King, Sales & Marketing Manager
Musical Innovations (Greenville, SC) – Musical Innovations collaborated with the Mauldin Chamber of Commerce, the Mauldin Cultural Center, and WSPA 7 TV (CBS affiliate) to put on the annual Make Music Day Celebration and Ice Cream Social at the Cultural Center. They also received proclamations from both the Mayor of Greenville and the Mayor of Mauldin proclaiming June 21, 2018 as Make Music Day in those respective cities; and, a resolution from the South Carolina State House of Representatives proclaiming June 21, 2018 Make Music Day in the state.
“We enjoy encouraging people of all ages to play music. It’s especially fun when they see it’s not as difficult as they think to play – and enjoy – the ukulele. This event enabled us to meet many new people who live right here in our community, and get them excited about playing music.” – Tracy Leenman, Owner
Senseney Music (Wichita, KS) – Senseney hosted a day of activities both in the store and in the Wichita community, including a ukulele circle, a trap set challenge, a Kindermusik demo class, performances by local talent, a fiddle circle, a guitar jam, and Sousapalooza at Old Town Square!
“Music is alive and well in our community! Setting aside one special day for coming together is a win-win for everybody. Having a mix of activities here at the store, as well as out in the community, provides multiple opportunities for our local music makers.” – Patti Cooper, Print Music Specialist
“Make Music Day is an excellent way to expose people to our store, a way to bring in potential new customers and life-long consumers of music.” – Brenda Rohr, Instrumental Music Sales / Event Organizer
Senseney’s Trap Set Challenge – set up outside (wise move!)
Stantons’ Sheet Music (Columbus, OH) – Stanton’s hosted five Ohio performing groups for concerts in their newly renovated recital hall and streamed the concerts on their Facebook and Instagram pages with #makethemostmusic. They also did a drawing for a $25 gift certificate for customers who visited the store on Make Music Day.
“We find it important to participate in Make Music Day because it is an international holiday specifically about the joy of making music; something the sheet music specialists love to do! It was wonderful to see our newly renovated recital hall full of action and music!” – Megan Wetzel, Sheet Music Specialist / Event Organizer
The Horns of Ohio take the Stanton’s Stage.
West Music (Coralville, IA) – West Music filled its stores with live performances from open to close, hosted a ukulele class for employees over the lunch hour, and gave employees stunning orange shirts to wear all day to support Make Music Day. They also hosted a community Make Music Day event that evening at Hancher Auditorium in Iowa City with an instrument petting zoo, drum circle, harmonica class (with free harmonicas), and ukulele class.
“The goal of Make Music Day is to create an inclusive opportunity for our community to participate in music which fits in line with the West Music mission to Play now, Play for Life.” -Katie Senn, Content and Community Engagement Manager.
West Music’s Drum Circle with Kids at Hancher Auditorium
Thanks to our member dealers and publishing partners who participated in Make Music Day 2018! If you’d like to know more about how you can participate next year, visit the Make Music Day website at www.makemusicday.org .