Recent

Excelcia Music Publishing and Wingert-Jones Publications Announce ‘Ready Sets’ for Concert Band

August 5, 2025

Get Ready to Rock The 2026 NAMM Show: NAMM Celebrates 125 Years with Five-Days of Music, Innovation and Industry Legacy

August 4, 2025

Jessica Tropea Joins Neutrik Americas as Customer Solutions Engineer

August 4, 2025

It’s Back to School Season: Is Your Store Ready?

August 5, 2025

Neil Potter Promoted to Director of National Sales at Allen & Heath USA

August 1, 2025

Sonique Drums Unveils Poly Pro Slim Snare Wire Straps

August 1, 2025

NAMM Announces New Leadership Teams For Women of NAMM and NAMM Young Professionals

July 30, 2025

Jeff Mulvihill Appointed Combo Drum and Concert Percussion Brand Manager for KHS America

July 29, 2025
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
  • Contact
MMR Magazine
  • Subscribe Now!
    • Subscribe Now!
  • Advertise
  • Email Press Releases!
  • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
  • Newsroom
    • News
    • MMR Global
    • Supplier Scene
    • Upfront
    • People
  • Awards
    • Dealers’ Choice Awards Ballot 2024
    • Don Johnson Award Winners Archive
  • Directory
  • Get Support!
No Result
View All Result
  • Subscribe Now!
    • Subscribe Now!
  • Advertise
  • Email Press Releases!
  • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
  • Newsroom
    • News
    • MMR Global
    • Supplier Scene
    • Upfront
    • People
  • Awards
    • Dealers’ Choice Awards Ballot 2024
    • Don Johnson Award Winners Archive
  • Directory
  • Get Support!
No Result
View All Result
MMR Magazine
No Result
View All Result

NAMM Members Celebrate National Music Day

Christian Wissmuller by Christian Wissmuller
June 24, 2013
in Upfront
0
National Music Day

National Music Day

938
SHARES
2.3k
VIEWS
Share on Facebook
ADVERTISEMENT

Carlsbad, CA, (June 24, 2013)— NAMM members and musicians of all abilities tuned-up their instruments to welcome the Summer Solstice in a daylong, musical free-for-all in observance of the first-ever National Music Day, June 21. The sounds of free, of-the-people music filled the air in more than 514 cities in 110 countries around the world.

NAMM members organized and participated in dozens of live music events, including uke circles, jam sessions, musical-instrument flash mobs, giving free music lessons, and record breaking performances, to create a musical feast for participants and spectators. Spearheaded by the National Music Day Foundation and Make Music cities, the mission is to encourage everyone to enjoy the unifying power and benefits of playing music.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I knew that this was something that our city needed to be a part of,” said Nathan Honore of Milwaukee’s Melk Music. “Our neighbors in Madison and Chicago both had excellent celebrations planned, so I definitely was inspired to start our own. It is so important to be involved with National Music Day in order to publicly show support for music in the community.”

NAMM-member-related events from around the country included elaborate, well-attended celebrations on both coasts and most states.

Hohner Harmonicas supported music for the masses by donating harmonicas to aspiring musicians at events in six major U.S. cities: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver, Madison and Portland, ME. In New York’s Central Park, harmonica virtuoso Jia-Yi He gave free harmonica lessons to the public with the instruments. In Los Angeles, Hohner teamed up with Alfred Music to feature the Tom Nolan Band leading a boistrous, 100-player harmonica band at Santa Monica Beach.

Make Music New York (MMNY), organized one of the largest musical celebrations in the country, playing host to a daylong succession of more than 1,000 musical events, including Mass Appeal, a series of open-invitation, single-instrument jam sessions. Guitar World Magazine, Guitar Center, Guitar Mash, D’Addario and NY Guitar School, gathered more than 400 guitarists for an afternoon of jamming and play-alongs. All ages and skill levels improvised and harmonized at the open-invitation event.

MMNY also presented Rhythm on Rikers, a drum-concert event featuring eight inmates who had been tutored by NYC-based professional percussionists in a ten-week program combining music theory and private drum lessons. The soul-stirring percussion concert was performed for an enthusiastic group of fellow inmates, who could also participate, with drums donated by Remo.

The streets of New York were vibrant with musical energy. Musicians broke a Guinness World Record for the largest keyboard ensemble ever assembled, while premiering pianist Jed Distler’s latest composition on 175 battery-powered Yamaha keyboards. Following the joyful performance, all of the keyboards were donated to the New York City Department of Education with support from Viacom. A portable karaoke bar featuring a traveling pianist playing music on a Casio-donated Privia PX-350 digital piano acted as a modern-day pied piper throughout the streets of Manhattan, collecting brave vocalists along the way. Gibson Guitars kept the music playing by hosting MMNY after-dark celebrations in their showroom.

NAMM retailers in cities across the country were responsible for events that welcomed musicians of all levels and abilities. Milwaukee’s Melk Music encouraged seasoned musicians as well as those who hadn’t picked up an instrument in years to join a community-wide ‘music-affirmation jam session.’ Musical Innovations in Greenville, SC, involved community members in a ukulele circle that was filled to capacity with willing music makers, including a local 8th-grader’s entire slumber party.

“Being a part of a celebration happening on the same day in over 500 cities in over 100 countries was an excellent way to get our community interested in playing music,” said Tracy Leenman of Musical Innovations. “We chose a ukulele circle because we hoped to convey the idea that playing music as a family can be fun, affordable and very easy. Anyone can find a way to participate in music, regardless of age or ability level; and any time people play music, there are benefits – socially, psychosocially, physically, and more.”

In Chicago, hundreds of musicians of all ages filled the plaza of Chicago’s renowned Richard J. Daley Center for a stringed performance with the Rise & Shine Orchestra, a Broadway sing-along, and John Philip Sousa’s famous Sousapalooza march.

Denver music-makers took their act on the road as the city’s B-Cycle riders (B-Cycle is the city’s bike-sharing transit program) grabbed tambourines and formed a musical caravan through the streets, stopping to make music with instrumental groups performing along the bike routes. The caravan culminated in a musical jam session in Skyline Park.

Los Angeles kicked off the music celebration on June 20 with a free, public concert on the South Lawn of the Los Angeles City Hall featuring celebrated composer Miguel Atwood-Ferguson’s latest work.

Make Music Riverside organized pop-up concerts, performances and all-hands-welcome instrument circles starting early in the morning and continuing well after sundown. Riverside’s aspiring musicians could choose among ukulele, drum, guitar, and keyboard circles. There was even a hands-on demonstration for would-be orchestra conductors.

National Music Day united efforts in major cities, small towns around the nation and the world. NAMM-member involvement proved instrumental in providing warm, welcoming opportunities for anyone to make music, illustrating that music and its many benefits are for everyone.

NAMM captured photos from various member celebrations with full usage rights. Please pull as many high resolution images as helpful from any of the galleries below to share with your audience. 

Tags: NAMMNational Music Daypeople
Previous Post

Roland AC-40 Acoustic Chorus Guitar Amp

Next Post

D’Angelico Guitars Reborn

Related Posts

MMR Global

Get Ready to Rock The 2026 NAMM Show: NAMM Celebrates 125 Years with Five-Days of Music, Innovation and Industry Legacy

August 4, 2025
MMR Global

NAMM Announces New Leadership Teams For Women of NAMM and NAMM Young Professionals

July 30, 2025
MMR Global

NAMM’s Top 100 Dealer Awards Rebranded as The NAMM Retail Awards

July 21, 2025
Upfront

Guitar Center Launches First-ever In-store AI Shopping Assistant in Music Retail

July 21, 2025
MMR Global

ESP Guitars Distributes Morley Pedals in Latin America

July 21, 2025
Upfront

UK distributor John Hornby Skewes & Co. Ltd., (JHS) Closing

July 18, 2025
Next Post
D'Angelico Guitars' EXL-1

D’Angelico Guitars Reborn

Please login to join discussion
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest

It’s Back to School Season: Is Your Store Ready?

August 5, 2025

Excelcia Music Publishing and Wingert-Jones Publications Announce ‘Ready Sets’ for Concert Band

August 5, 2025
Tom Capo

KPODJ: The Gold Standard In Pro Audio Retail

January 26, 2017

Get Ready to Rock The 2026 NAMM Show: NAMM Celebrates 125 Years with Five-Days of Music, Innovation and Industry Legacy

August 4, 2025

Excelcia Music Publishing and Wingert-Jones Publications Announce ‘Ready Sets’ for Concert Band

Get Ready to Rock The 2026 NAMM Show: NAMM Celebrates 125 Years with Five-Days of Music, Innovation and Industry Legacy

Jessica Tropea Joins Neutrik Americas as Customer Solutions Engineer

It’s Back to School Season: Is Your Store Ready?

Excelcia Music Publishing and Wingert-Jones Publications Announce ‘Ready Sets’ for Concert Band

August 5, 2025

Get Ready to Rock The 2026 NAMM Show: NAMM Celebrates 125 Years with Five-Days of Music, Innovation and Industry Legacy

August 4, 2025

Jessica Tropea Joins Neutrik Americas as Customer Solutions Engineer

August 4, 2025

It’s Back to School Season: Is Your Store Ready?

August 5, 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
The Latest News and Gear in Your Inbox - Sign Up Today!
  • August 2025

    Articles | Digital Issue
  • July 2025

    Articles | Digital Issue
  • June 2025

    Articles | Digital Issue
  • May 2025

    Articles | Digital Issue
  • April 2025

    Articles | Digital Issue
© 2005 - 2025 artistpro, LLC
7012 City Center Way, Suite 207
Fairview, Tennessee 37062
(800) 682-8114

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Subscribe Now!
    • Subscribe Now!
  • Advertise
  • Email Press Releases!
  • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
  • Newsroom
    • News
    • MMR Global
    • Supplier Scene
    • Upfront
    • People
  • Awards
    • Dealers’ Choice Awards Ballot 2024
    • Don Johnson Award Winners Archive
  • Directory
  • Get Support!

© 2005 – 2024 artistpro, LLC 7012 City Center Way, Suite 207 Fairview, Tennessee 37062 (800) 682-8114

This is Modal Title

Click Me
Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?