YORK, Pa. — Make Music Day is an international celebration that encourages people to dive into the arts and try something new with different styles of music.
Downtown York is one of the 1,000 locations celebrating the start of the summer solstice with Make Music Day, sponsored by Wellspan Health and The Cultural Alliance of York County.
Make Music Day is a large, collaborative celebration with a hub of activity in downtown York and additional events being hosted in libraries and other locations around town. FOX43 visited a few of the participating locations for a sneak peek at what is offered to eventgoers.
Gretchen Dekker, pianist and president of the York Music Teachers Association, said anyone can make music and allow themselves to explore.
“This is an opportunity for everyone—anyone—to come downtown and make music,” said Dekker. “We will have places where if you used to play you can play again, we will have places where if you’re curious you can satisfy your curiosity, and if you want to try you can give it a try.”
Some of the events included in today's Make Music Day are:
- Yorktowne Hotel: 4 p.m.-6 p.m.
- Cocktail Hour Jazz at the Yorktowne: Classic jazz in a classy place
- Creative York: 12 p.m.-4 p.m.
- Creative York’s front sidewalk will play host to York's newest School of Rock! Kids can try out electric guitars and rock instruments.
- Noels Rock Shop: 2 p.m.-5 p.m.
- York’s newest music store is open on Make Music Day! Stop by and say hello (and happy birthday!) to Scott, the owner!
- Keystone Kidspace: 2:30 p.m.-5 p.m.
- Kids can make their own musical instruments, as well as offer access to their pianos and drum kit, in partnership with Studio 117.
- Harmony Café Courtyard: 3 p.m.-6 p.m.
- Help paint one of the York Art Association's pianos that will temporarily live in the courtyard outside of Harmony Café!
- Heidelberg UCC: 4 p.m.-5 p.m.
- Andy Milstein Senior Piano Recital featuring solo piano music by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Debussy and Mendelssohn.
- Lovedrafts Unplugged: 4 p.m.-10 p.m.
- Participants can say thank you to Make Music Day's food sponsor, who is graciously feeding all of our musicians on Make Music Day, by joining the team for a little afterparty (or anytime) at Lovedrafts Unplugged!
- Joyful Noise and Kazoo Parade
- The largest group performance of the day! Attendees can gather by 5:30 p.m. on Continental Square to play "Ode to Joy" together on any instrument, in one big group!
- As soon as you hear Ode to Joy, organizers hope you will join in!
- Kazoos will be provided for all participants, and around 6 p.m. participants will be led parade-style down to Gift Horse Brewing, which will host the largest drum circle to date in their courtyard following a first anniversary ribbon cutting at the brewery!
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