The New Tropic Creative Studio recently chatted with Justin Trieger, one of the organizers of Make Music Day Miami, who gave us the lowdown on the history behind the holiday and what we can expect this year.
What exactly is Make Music Day?
No bogus holiday here. Make Music Day is a day-long, free, live musical celebration on June 21st each of each year. Its purpose to make music accessible to all, and expose every single resident of the county to either a music-making opportunity or a free performance.
What’s the history behind it?
Make Music Day originated as Fête de la Musique in France in 1982, as a way to celebrate the arrival of summer in a cultural way. The French government at the time invited local musicians to give impromptu performances in homes, parks, and various public spaces. Now known as Make Music Day, it’s celebrated in over 800 cities around the world. Some of the first Make Music Days in Miami were put on, in part, by Miami’s French consulate.
Where is all this happening?
There are more activations spread throughout the county than in years past. The organizers focused on extending the reach of the musical community to a much broader audience. You don’t have to be in a cultural epicentre to get in on this. They have engaged businesses and people in various neighborhoods to turn their space into an impromptu music venue for the day.
You can find different activation in the following areas
- Buena Vista
- Coconut Grove
- Coral Way
- Downtown
- Edgewater
- Liberty City
- Midtown
- Upper East Side
- Wynwood
- North Beach
- South Beach
- Coral Gables
- Hialeah
- Kendall
We’ll be hanging out on Lincoln Road, where there will be over 30 different performances throughout the evening from 5 pm – 11 pm. There will be group music-making classes, free harmonicas & drumsticks, which we hope will lead to impromptu music sessions, as well as tons of free performances.
What are some of the highlights?
- In certain neighborhoods, thanks in part to NBC Universal, a mobile Mama Mia (here I go again) singalong mobile karaoke truck will be driving around with an MC, comedians, and live performances, and will invite passersby to step up and sing their favorite ABBA tune.
- Many of the performances will be webcast throughout the day including DJ le Spams Commute Set, airing during all our morning commute
- You can also check out Inez Barlatier and APACHE at the North Beach Bandshell at 6 pm.
For more info and a complete listing of all activities, go to makemusicday.org/miami
Produced by The New Tropic Creative Studio with Lincoln Road Business Improvement District