Nicola Benedetti and Iona Fyfe get behind Make Music Day Scotland this summer

Hybrid of in-person and online events planned in Scotland and across the UK to mark the global, annual celebration of music!

Article Source: Make Music Day
Last Updated: 17 June 2021 12:17

Make Music Day UK is delighted to announce a range of inclusive 2021 projects and events to celebrate the world’s biggest, grassroots DIY music festival, with zero barriers to participation and attendance. Thousands of free events will be taking place in Scotland and across the UK to mark the global celebration, which takes place annually on 21 June.

Make Music Day is the UK’s largest single-day music festival, encouraging musicians, producers, promoters and music lovers to collaborate and organise in-person and online performances in their communities. Solo performers, groups and music creators of all types are invited to take part, regardless of age, ability or musical genre.

Make Music Day ambassadors Nicola Benedetti and Iona Fyfe can’t wait for this year’s Make Music Day.

Violinist Nicola Benedetti said: “I wholeheartedly support Make Music Day, a truly global music event that encourages everyone to find their creativity, be it as a performer or listener and to share in the joy of making and appreciating great music.”

Singer Iona Fyfe said: “I'm delighted to support Make Music Day. Music transcends generation, background, class, language barriers and more. Make Music Day brings people together and allows communities to connect, even virtually at a time when many people are struggling with isolation and loneliness. Make Music Day is inclusive and widens access to music making all over the UK.”

In Scotland, events already planned include the launch of a new film and song by asylum seeking and refugee musicians Musicians in Exile, in association with The Glasgow Barons (Artists in Residence in Govan). Live Music Now are planning live concerts outdoors and online for care home residents and Hands Up for Trad will be broadcasting live traditional music performances from Scotland and around the world including fiddler Ellie McLaren and singer Ellie Beaton.

Scottish youth bands and choirs will be taking part in the Music Education Partnership Group’s online concert and for the Signing Glee School Challenge, children across the country will learn to sign Stand By Me and connect via livestream for a simultaneous performance. In Edinburgh, the Syncopate digital concert organised by Reel Youth Media will showcase young performers taking part in music making activities across the capital's 23 high schools and 88 primary schools.

A range of free, comprehensive support is available to musicians and event organisers, including a suite of toolkits, Covid-19 rehearsing and performing guidelines, meetups and online workshops on topics from live streaming to publicity, and much more. All events can be listed free on the Make Music Day UK website, where anyone can search for an event happening in their local area or online.

In addition to organising their own events for Make Music Day, musicians are invited to take part in one of the many national and international projects, designed to encourage global collaboration and tackle some of the unprecedented challenges of music making and inclusion during the global pandemic.

● Global Folk Challenge – exchange of traditional and folk music with performers around the world
● Window Serenades – sharing the joy of live music with those in care homes
● MMD Schools – free resources and virtual events for school, in partnership with Durham Music and the Charanga platform
● MixMash Studios – international project with music makers and sound samplers coming together virtually to create new electronic music, in partnership with Plugged
● John Cage 4’33’’ – international online premiere of the John Cage piece 4’33”, in partnership with Northern Irish peace-building initiative Beyond Skin and the John Cage Trust
● Make Music Day Anthem – record or perform this year’s official anthem, Stand by Me, with free sheet music available and a competition for best cover version, supported by Hal Leonard and Sony Music Publishing

On 21 June, Make Music Day UK’s official Livestream Broadcast will feature performances and projects from Scotland and across the UK, showcasing the breadth of the celebrations of this global event.

Barbara Eifler, Chair of Make Music Day UK, said: “There are even more reasons to get involved in Make Music Day this year, when Covid-19 has shown us how much music can help and heal. As we look forward to a gradually post-pandemic world, celebrating Make Music Day seems a particularly fitting way of bringing our communities together again after months of isolation, pain and loss. Of course, it’s not yet all over – but the resilience of this celebration is that it can be online or offline and speak to millions of people, and also connect us to musicians just like us across the world.”

Since beginning as Fête de la Musique in France in 1982, Make Music Day has grown into a global phenomenon that takes place annually in 125 countries, always on 21 June. The event first came to the UK in 2012, and 2017 marked the first UK-wide, coordinated celebration with support and funding from national organisations, resulting in 147 performances. In 2020, despite the challenges of the pandemic and social distancing, 1,739 live and online performances took place across the UK, involving 11,162 performers who brought inspiring musical experiences to over 531,700 people.

Alongside the support of partner organisations and their combined networks, Make Music Day UK is proud to include as its ambassadors Nicola Benedetti CBE and Iona Fyfe (MG ALBA Scots Singer of the Year 2018). Development in Scotland is supported by Creative Scotland.

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