Make Music Day Announces Updated Schedule: Thousands of Free Events Nationwide

Karaoke Singers, Brass Players, Pianists, Drummers, Guitarists, and All Other Musicians Are Invited to Join In the Music-Making

CARLSBAD, Calif., June 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Make Music Day, the worldwide celebration of music held annually on the summer solstice, today announced its updated schedule of unique, exciting, and participatory events taking place on Saturday June 21. Encompassing more than 5,000 free public concerts, performances, music lessons, and jam sessions nationwide, the daylong musical free-for-all will be staged in over 150 U.S. cities.

Launched in France in 1982 as the Fête de la Musique, Make Music Day has become a global phenomenon, celebrated by millions of people in more than 2,000 cities worldwide. Held on the longest day of the year, the world's largest annual music event invites every kind of musician — young and old, amateur and professional, of every musical persuasion — to come out to streets, parks, plazas, porches, rooftops, gardens, and other public spaces to celebrate, create, and share their music. Make Music Day is presented by The NAMM Foundation.

In a new Make Music Day program in New York City called Let the Music Move You, the public is invited to experience the world's best karaoke. From 12pm – 4pm, outside the JBL Store in Soho (19 E Houston St), guests will sit in the front seat of a Cadillac OPTIQ Electric SUV featuring an immersive 19-speaker AKG Dolby Atmos sound system. Inside the Cadillac, one at a time, they will choose a song from a short playlist to sing. And sitting in the backseat will be three professional back-up singers, dressed to impress, who have learned the background vocal parts to each song and will be singing along! Let the Music Move You is sponsored by Harman, the global leader in pro audio.

In Waterway Horns, another new program for Make Music New York, the Shoofly tugboat has been outfitted with a custom-designed Wurlitzer organ, as well as salvaged and refurbished ship horns and bells, to broadcast a new composition that will literally (and littorally) activate the East River tidal estuary with music from 1pm – 8pm, as the boat passes by the shorefronts of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens on Make Music Day. The music played from the Shoofly will be complemented by live brass performances, under the direction of composer/musician Stefan Zeniuk's "Landlubber Ensemble," at key points along its route: Pier 17 (Financial District) at 2:30pm; Brooklyn Bridge Park's Granite Prospect at 3:45pm; WNYC Transmitter Park (Greenpoint) at 5:30pm; and Hunter's Point South Park (Long Island City) at 6:45pm. In keeping with Make Music Day's participatory ethos, the Landlubbers invite additional ensembles and horn players to join through an open registration process. Waterway Horns is presented in partnership with the non-profit Tideland Institute and its director N.D. Austin.

For Roomful of Pianos, a new partnership with Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), musicians will give free multi-piano performances in thirteen music stores across the country. In Henderson NV, 50 students will play at 50 pianos in a colossal performance at the Southern Nevada Music showroom, with repertoire including Ode to Joy, Space Jive, and Hungarian Dance No. 5. In Greenville SC, Roomful of Pianos at the Steinway Piano Gallery will be split between beginners, intermediate learners and music teachers, each getting a showcase slot to play. And at Piano Planet in Honolulu HI, piano instructors and teenage players will show off their sight-reading skills in an atmosphere of fellowship.

A national series of nine Circle Singing events will also debut for Make Music Day 2025. Popularized by Grammy Award-winning artist Bobby McFerrin, Circle Singing is an improvised vocal experience without sheet music or advance preparation. Participants create music in the moment, layering sounds and rhythms extemporaneously. All are welcome to lend their voices for free events in Boston MA, Chattanooga TN, Fullerton CA, Indianapolis IN, Long Beach CA, Manhattan MT, Montclair NJ, New York NY, and San Jose CA. New York's circle singing event, held in Flatbush, Brooklyn (AllInOne Church, 494 E 23rd St), is a 24 hour "Sing For The Earth" marathon co-presented with the Gaia Music Collective, with continuous song from noon on Saturday June 21 until noon on Sunday June 22. Support for Circle Singing is provided by the Cheswatyr Foundation and the Music Performance Trust Fund.

Demonstrating music's universal reach, a new international Make Music Day initiative called Taking Flight will link singers across venues in Canada, Germany, Ghana, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, Turkey, the U.K, and the U.S. In each country, members of the public will gather to learn a local popular song in multi-part harmony on the spot, and then join a global streaming broadcast where each "choir" will perform their song live, taking turns so that every participating country can watch every other country's live performance on a large screen at the front of each room. Choral directors in each country will select their own popular song for the occasion, in their local language, on the theme of "Taking Flight." The event will close with a collective rendition of Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds," sung by every group in harmony around the world.

Other national Make Music Day programs for 2025 include:

Critical Impact — This special Make Music Day opportunity for school bands, by composer Brian Balmages, is flexibly written for Concert Band, Full Orchestra, or a mix of band and strings, and is provided at no cost through a partnership between the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), The NAMM Foundation, and music technology company MakeMusic Inc. Bands are invited to play the piece on Make Music Day (or post videos that day of their performances) and submit video testimonials about the "critical impact" of music education, for a chance to win a share of $15,000 in new sheet music from Alfred Music.

Flowerpot Music — Back for a sixth year, sixteen groups will gather around the country to perform a composition by celebrated composer Elliot Cole and directed by percussionist Peter Ferry, using an unlikely percussion instrument: the flowerpot. Appropriate for musicians and non-musicians alike, participants can join a group and create outdoor soundscapes through easy-to-learn games.

Make Music, Make Friends — In this returning global initiative, elementary school classrooms from 38 schools in 10 countries have created musical greeting videos to share the music they are learning. The students will watch the musical messages on June 21 from other countries and gain exposure to different regions and cultures.

Mass Appeal — People of all ages and skill levels will band together to make music in over 120 large, single-instrument groups across 72 cities nationwide. This year, leading music brands including Makey Makey, Rhythm Band Instruments, and Vic Firth are donating thousands of free instruments so that any member of the public can stop by these events and join the band.

#MySongIsYourSong — Coordinated this year by Make Music Nigeria, songwriters and composers of all kinds are invited to sign up to learn and perform a song by an artist from another part of the world, and hear one of their original songs covered in return.

Sousapalooza — Fourteen large groups of brass and wind musicians will assemble in parks and plazas to play the music of "March King" John Philip Sousa. Anyone is invited to download the music, bring their horn, and join the band. Sousapaloozas are being organized in Atlanta GA, Anchorage AK, Bloomington IN, Chicago IL, Huntsville AL, Lansing MI, Loveland OH, Madison WI, Milwaukee WI, New Brighton PA, New York NY, Platteville WI, Troy NY, and Tyler TX.

String Together — For Make Music Day, 115 music retailers are hosting a free guitar string-changing session that comes with a free set of acoustic Elixir Strings (for the first 12 registrants at each store). All are welcome, from complete newbies who have never changed their strings, to more experienced players looking for a few tips from a pro guitar tech.

Thousands of additional Make Music Day events, all free and open to the public, are listed at www.makemusicday.org.

Make Music Day is presented in the US by The NAMM Foundation and coordinated by the nonprofit Make Music Alliance. Make Music Day programs are made possible by the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, Sweetwater Sound, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. The event's official hashtag is #MakeMusicDay.

Make Music Day 2025 is confirmed to take place in the following states and local areas:

Alabama: Florence, Gulf Shores, Huntsville, Mobile; Arizona:Phoenix, West Valley; California:Anaheim, Auburn, Big Bear, Claremont, Coachella Valley, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Jose; Colorado: Denver; Connecticut: Bethel, Danbury, Fairfield, Georgetown, Hartford, Hebron, Middletown, New Haven, New London, Northwest CT, Norwalk, Ridgefield, Rocky Hill, Southbury, Southeast CT, Waterbury, Windsor; Florida:Nassau County, Orange County, Palm Beach, Tallahassee; Georgia:Macon; Hawai'i: statewide; Illinois:Chicago, Marion, Wheaton; Indiana:Indianapolis; Iowa: Cedar Falls; Massachusetts:Boston; Michigan:Ann Arbor, Escanaba; Minnesota: Hastings; Missouri:Columbia, Kansas City, Liberty, Neosho, St. Louis; North Carolina:Bertie County, Brunswick County, Catawba County, Kinston, Raleigh, Stanly County, Statesville, Vance County, Wilmington; New Jersey:Fair Lawn, Glassboro, Hackensack, Montclair, Newark; New York:Albany, New York City, Ossining, Troy, Woodstock, Wyoming County, Yonkers; Ohio:Cincinnati; Oklahoma:Muskogee, Tulsa; Oregon:Clatsop County, Eugene, McMinnville, Salem; Pennsylvania:Lancaster, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, York County; Tennessee:Chattanooga, Germantown, Knoxville, Nashville; Texas:Alpine, Buda, College Station, Dallas, Denison, Fort Worth, Frisco, Galveston, Henderson County, Houston, Hutto, Laredo, Marble Falls, McKinney, Mexia, New Braunfels, Odessa, Port Aransas, Salado, San Antonio, San Marcos, South Padre Island, Sugar Land, Tyler, Waco, Waxahachie, Wimberley; Vermont: statewide; Washington:Aberdeen, Gig Harbor, Issaquah; Wisconsin:Amery, Appleton, Ashland, Baraboo, Beloit, Cable, Cambridge, Cross Plains, DeForest, Dodgeville, Green Bay, Hayward, Kenosha, Land O' Lakes, Madeline Island, Madison, Marshfield, Middleton, Milwaukee, Monona, Oshkosh, Platteville, Shell Lake-Spooner, Stevens Point, Sun Prairie, Superior, Verona.

About Make Music Day
Held annually on June 21 to coincide with the Summer Solstice, Make Music Day is part of the international Fête de la Musique taking place in more than 2,000 cities around the world. The day-long, musical free-for-all celebrates music in all its forms, encouraging people to band together and play in free public concerts. This year, over 150 U.S. cities and the entire states of Connecticut, Hawaii, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas, Vermont, and Wisconsin are organizing Make Music celebrations, encompassing thousands of music-making opportunities nationwide. Make Music Day is presented by The NAMM Foundation and coordinated by the nonprofit Make Music Alliance. For more information, please visit www.makemusicday.org

About The NAMM Foundation
The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its 15,000 members around the world. The NAMM Foundation works to advance active participation in music-making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving, and public service programs. For more information about The NAMM Foundation, please visit www.nammfoundation.org.

CONTACT: Stephanie Renée
pr@makemusicday.org, 202.643.7215

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SOURCE NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants)