Nothing compares to the feeling you experience when you make music – whether you’re picking up an instrument for the first time or laying down your 100th track. As longstanding partners with the Make Music Alliance, HARMAN takes great pride in helping people all over the world to relish and celebrate the joy of making music together. With help from our partners at Found Sound Nation, each year HARMAN brings our pop-up Street Studios to life in multiple cities across the globe on June 21, the official Make Music Day. Take a closer look at how HARMAN celebrated this year at some of our locations across the globe…
Northridge, California
In California, Make Music Day participants received the full rock star experience at the HARMAN Experience Center, where more than 20 musicians played amazing sets on the soundstage – equipped with HARMAN Professional Solutions audio and lighting solutions. In addition to the HARMAN House Band, led by Jeff Poole, gifted drummer and Warehouse Supervisor at HARMAN, local rock drummer Mike Hanson, punk drummer Anthony “Tiny” Biuso, and pop duo Evaride all took to the stage to entertain attendees. In a nod to the historic importance of the Recording Academy to the world of music and the recording arts, HARMAN hosted our California Street Studio in front of the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles. Throughout the day, musicians of all levels of expertise, from beginners to professionals, stopped by to make their own music in front of the famed institution.
Novi, Michigan
There was no shortage of activities at our offices in Novi, where employees kicked off the morning of Make Music Day with some meditative yoga featuring live music. Seventeen local bands featuring our own HARMAN employees provided a soundtrack for the day, playing live music for everyone to enjoy. In between sets, HARMAN employees stopped by our gallery wall to leave a note about what music means to them before challenging each other to a little friendly completion by playing the ever-popular game Guitar Hero. The Novi office even hosted their own Street Studio so employees could lend their talents to a collaborative track and share the sounds of HARMAN Novi.
Stamford, Connecticut
In Stamford, impromptu concerts were springing up all over town thanks to the pianos that the town places on sidewalks and street corners, encouraging passersby to channel their inner Motzart or Beethoven. HARMAN joined in the massive celebration downtown with our Street Studio in front of the historic Ferguson Library, where music-lovers of all ages stopped by to try their hand at creating a custom track. HARMAN’s own Darrin Shewchuk, Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications, was onsite, and spoke about how music is the world’s greatest unifier. Nearby, a full band and Stamford’s local radio station were playing even more music for the crowds, organizing field games like corn hole, and giving out free prizes.
Washington, DC
Street music has a long history in Washington, DC, especially in the artistic neighborhood of Adams Morgan. Home to a vibrant mix of clubs, cafes, studios, and galleries, HARMAN hosted our first DC Street Studio in front of one of the area’s most historic and recognized murals. Hundreds of people gathered in the nation’s capital to experience the joy of making music, including music fans, local celebrities, musicians, and artists. After Make Music Day, the HARMAN equipment used in the Street Studio was donated to the Black Water Arts Academy in Baltimore City through the Innovation Echo Alliance youth education program. This coming August, the young artists attending the academy will use the equipment to produce electronic and live music as part of a new pilot program.
Moscow, Russia
In Moscow, HARMAN found the inspiration for their Make Music Day celebrations in a popular summer pastime – music festivals! Over 500 employees gathered with their friends and families at “The Gamma of Tastes” for karaoke battles, musical games, and outdoor activities. During the festival, every participant received a colorful bandana with the music fest logo, which they wore during all the activities, including the closing disco party! There was also a children’s art contest, in which employees’ children could paint or draw a picture about the importance of making music and what music means to them.
In addition to the amazing activities above, HARMAN brought our Street Studios to New York City, Budapest, Hungary, and Querétaro, Mexico, where professional producers were on site to help music-lovers play a few chords on the guitar, learn a new melody on the keyboard, or contribute their voice to a one-of-a-kind song.
At HARMAN, we didn’t limit our celebration of music to just one day. In the lead up to Make Music Day, we spoke with musicians like DJ Ashba and DJ Aasheesh Paliwal to learn about their musical journeys and discover what motivates them to make music. Still can’t get enough of Make Music Day? Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay tuned for the release of our Street Studio tracks and hear the sounds of our cities!