MAKE MUSIC DAY 2020 | COUNTDOWN TO JUNE 21
Make Music Day is back in 2020! Make Music Day is a global celebration of music which takes place every year on June 21, in over 1000 cities across 120 countries. Beginning as the Fete de la Musique in France in 1982, it has now grown into a worldwide event, with Australia celebrating its third year of participation in 2020. It is a day of free-for-all music making, in which anyone and everyone is invited to participate in or organise their own activities for making and sharing music. Make Music Day is open for musicians and enthusiasts of all capabilities, young and old, professional and amateur, presenting self-organised programs of activities ranging from flash-mob choirs in train stations to lunch time school band performances, balcony jam sessions, community ukulele get-togethers and professional performances alike.
This year has been one of the most challenging for the music industry, and Make Music Day is no exception. Due to the impacts of COVID19 social distancing measures, the Make Music Day international alliance decided to focus more on music-making activities within the digital and online space in 2020. This move now presents exciting new opportunities and a renewed enthusiasm for celebrating music-making by exploring new and innovative ways of sharing music through digital and online activities while adhering to the health guidelines of each state and territory.
Rob Walker, CEO of the Australian Music Association says, “The challenge thrown Make Music Day Australia by the 2020 pandemic has provided all sorts of creative opportunities for people to make music online, on top of the live opportunities that now exist in public places, said AMA CEO Rob Walker – this combination has revealed a treasure trove of innovation. You can’t keep a musician from making music. There will be hours of ‘live’ musicians online and maybe in your world, you’ll see some in the park or on a verandah somewhere”
This year will see exciting activities across the country including:
• and Josh Pyke kicking off the #livefromhome challenge
o Participants film and upload a video of themselves performing their favourite song to social media, and tag three other mates to do the same
• Make Music Day at the Art Gallery of NSW
o As part of the AGNSW’s #TogetherInArt project and in celebration of Make Music Day 2020, ARIA award-winning, art pop singer-songwriter Montaigne will share a special live-streamed musical performance from the Gallery on Sunday 21 June, 7.30pm AEST.
• Creative Arts Alliance Young Mic Online, QLD
o Young musicians, singers, bands, rappers and beat makers are invited to participate in an online version of the popular Caboolture Club open mic event series
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• Parramatta Riverside Theatre presents Ngaiire: Take Down
o After Covid-19 forced the cancellation of her March Australian tour, Ngaiire is back and bringing her new music to a one off event, streamed live on YouTube from the Riverside stage for Make Music Day.
• Adelaide UNESCO City of Music Program, SA
o On Make Music Day, the Cities of Music of UNESCO Creative Cities Network have prepared a musical feast with a special broadcast of over 20 music cities from five different continents. Adelaide, the first and only City of Music in Australia, will curate a program of talented musicians from across South Australia including Adam Page, Nancy Bates, Emily Tulloch, Belinda Gehlert, Ross McHenry, Josh Baldwin, Django Rowe and Brenton Foster to showcase the rich and diverse city of music. Join us for this global celebration of music!
• Melbourne Guitar Show Online
o Some of Australia’s finest exponents of the guitar and other fretted instruments will perform in isolation for Make Music Day Australia. This two hour plus Facebook Fest features live performances by some of Australia’s finest musicians including Phil Manning, James Ryan, Fiona Boyes, Nick Charles, Jeremy Barnes, Alison Ferrier, Jeff Lang, Lloyd Spiegel, Anna Scionti, Joshua Batten, Opal Ocean, Mike Elrington, Simon Gardiner, The Thin White Ukes, Lucas Michailidis, and Ben Kelly, with more names to come
• AIM and Sydney Improvised Music Association Present Jazz Masterclass + Q&A Session
o ARIA-Award winning bassist Jonathan Zwartz and legendary drummer Hamish Stuart form one of Australia’s great jazz rhythm sections. In this special Make Music Day event, they join forces with luminary pianist and Bell Hall of Fame inductee Mike Nock ONZM for a fascinating masterclass that captures the excitement and immediacy of improvised music and showcases the brilliance and creative dexterity of this exceptional ensemble.
• Music ACT Make Music Day Program, ACT
o Music ACT invites All participating musicians from across the Canberra region can “play on their patio”, “do a banger on their balcony”, “sing on their sidewalk” or “rock out on their driveway” to aid a speedy recovery from the COVID19 crisis
• Zoom Zingalong, VIC
o Melbourne based Elwood Community Choir and ZING! Choir are combining for two hours of song sharing, singalongs, musical games and vocal frolics on Zoom.
• Sydney Youth Orchestra’s Classical Karaoke, NSW
o Tuning in LIVE on Facebook, Classical Karaoke will connect musicians of all levels and ages from across the globe, tuning in to play an arrangement of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, conducted live by world renowned conductor Brian Buggy OAM, all in the comfort of their own homes
• Make Music Day ADL (Livestream Mini Festival), SA
o Based in Adelaide but open for anyone to register, this mini online music festival presents a curated program of short performances livestreamed via social media.
Make Music Australia has been made possible by the Australian Music Association, The NAMM Foundation and Live Music Office and many of these activities have been made possible by key project partners and supporters such as CreateNSW, APRA AMCOS, Australian Music Industry Network and Community Broadcasting Association of Australia.
Lucy Joseph, Projects and Engagement Manager for the Live Music Office said, “We encourage everyone to get involved in some way or other in the years to come with Make Music Day. Now more than ever, Make Music Day presents an important opportunity to elevate music making in the recovery process from COVID19. Music plays a vital role in bring communities back together, rebuilding and restoring the joy of making music no matter who you are or where you’re from.”
This year Make Music Day also supports the work being done by the incredible team at Support Act and encourages everyone to donate to this organisation that helps music industry workers navigate through challenging times.
For more information on Make Music Day and activities happening in 2020, visit: https://makemusicaustralia.org.au/
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About the Australian Music Association
The Australian Music Association’s is a not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to be the voice of the music products industry and grow music making in Australia. For more information please visit: https://australianmusic.asn.au/
About the Live Music Office
The Live Music Office works to support the growth of the venue-based live music sector in Australia to increase live music performance opportunities and support live music audience and sector development. For more information please visit: https://livemusicoffice.com.au/