Make Music Day Huntsville encourages residents to let their talents shine on June 21

HUNTSVILLE – While some dream of performing on a national stage, others just want to share their talents with fellow music-lovers, no matter the venue.

Make Music Day Huntsville, a collaboration between the Huntsville Music Office and Huntsville Hospital Music Therapy Program, is a free community-driven live music celebration on June 21 with concerts in various spaces across the city. Huntsville is one of over 1,000 cities in 120 countries that will participate in the program, which encourages people of all ages and abilities to make music.

The goal of Make Music Day Huntsville is to provide an equal platform for musicians of all skill levels, interests and walks of life and to inspire the next generation of music makers.

“This gets to the heart of our efforts to make our city’s music environment as dynamic and diverse as possible because it’s something everyone can participate in, no matter whether you’re a professional or just play tambourine around the house for fun with your kids,” said Huntsville Music Officer Matt Mandrella. “Make Music Day is about inclusivity, which is key to building a successful music ecosystem. No matter what kind of music you make, there’s a stage for you.”

How to participate

Participating is easy. The Make Music Day Huntsville website serves as an online “matchmaking” database for both artists and venues. Groups can create accounts and register either as a location interested in hosting a performer or as a performer seeking a venue.

Performers can create artist profiles with information about them, their genre, what instrument(s) they play and more. Registered venues can do the same and then browse artist profiles and invite them to play. Musicians can also browse venue profiles and offer to perform where they have openings. Performers who don’t want to play solo can browse other profiles and make contact in a bid to form a duo, trio or full-fledged band.

Performances can be as short as 15 minutes, though venues may request more time from a performer.

Varied venues

Venues and organizations that have already signed up include Ditto Landing, the Fret Shop, Panera Bread, Honest Coffee, Downtown Huntsville, Inc., Downtown Huntsville Public Library and Jeff & Blues, a newly opened bar next to The Orion Amphitheater.

For those who prefer a more institutional space, Huntsville City Hall and the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber will also host performances. Huntsville Hospital will host performances in 11 locations, seven of which are in the hospital with two others at Bridge Street Town Centre and one at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

Mandrella said the partnership with the Huntsville Hospital Music Therapy Program was a natural fit because music can be a tool that both heals and entertains. Eugene Johnson, who manages the program, said he’s excited by the partnership.

“From our hospital halls to downtown Huntsville, our community will be filled with incredible talent and music on June 21,” he said. “This is an inspiring event that showcases the healing power of music. We hope you will join the fun and support Music Therapy through this year’s Make Music Day.”

About Make Music Day

Make Music Day, which began in 2007, is presented by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation. It is held on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Other participating Alabama cities include Decatur, Florence, Gadsden, Gulf Shores and Montgomery.

Visit MakeMusicDay.org/Huntsville to view performer and venue listings on the map, which can be filtered by genre, event, artist name or venue name. Users can also search for participating artists and venues.

Performers and venues are asked to share Make Music Day Huntsville posts to social with the hashtags #MakeMusicDay and #MakeMusicDayHSV. Photos and video can also be shared with the Huntsville Music Office through Facebook.