Arts Services Initiative of WNY plans for 2nd annual 'Make Music Day' in Buffalo & Niagara Falls

On June 21, WNY joins cities across country & around world in celebration of music

Arts Services Initiative of Western New York has announced Buffalo and Niagara Falls will join cities across the country and around the world for the second time to celebrate "Make Music Day" on June 21.

"Make Music Day" is a worldwide celebration of music. ASI launched local participation in 2016 with 30 performances at 16 venues in Erie and Niagara counties, which, collectively, attracted over 5,000 participants and attendees.

ASI is gearing up to bring a day filled with music to the area again. Completely different from a typical musical festival, "Make Music Day" seeks to encourage all people, young and old, amateur or professional, to experience the pleasure of making music. Every kind of musician - of all musical persuasions - pours onto streets, parks, plazas and other public spaces to share their music with friends, neighbors and strangers. All of it is free and open to the public.

"Make Music Day" began in France in 1982 as the Fête de la Musique and has since spread to over 700 cities across 120 countries.

There are several ways to get involved in "Make Music Day" this year:

•If you are a performer: Create your profile through the free "Make Music Day" matchmaking website (http://makemusicday.org/western-ny/) and request venues that will fit your availability and style. Once a venue confirms your request, your performance is booked for June 21.

•If you have an available venue: Create a profile through the free "Make Music Day" matchmaking website (http://makemusicday.org/western-ny/) and peruse the musician profiles to request a performance or welcome musicians to bid on your venue. Once a match is made, you will host a performance on June 21.

•Donate to "Make Music Day" through the online "Spring It On" campaign on March 15 (www.givegab.com/nonprofits/arts-services-initiative-of-western-new-york/campaigns/make-music-day).

•Become a volunteer: Help Buffalo and Niagara Falls celebrate "Make Music Day" on June 21 by volunteering your time and talent. Email [email protected] for more information.

"ASI believes that the arts are for everyone, so 'Make Music Day' is a perfect addition to our programming and to the Western New York community," ASI Executive Director Tod A. Kniazuk said. "With the participation of our local musicians and venues, it can also be a true communitywide event; folks in every part of the city can be part of the same celebration, instead of it happening just in one or two neighborhoods."

In 2016, its inaugural year, ASI partnered with venues of various size and recognition to bring "Make Music Day" to the diverse communities of Buffalo and Niagara Falls. These venues included Silo City, Larkin Square, The Alliance Française at The Colored Musicians Club, Niagara Falls State Park and 24 Below Gallery. Highlights from last year included four "mass appeals," where the public was invited to learn how to play harmonica and guitar for free.

"It was exciting to join the hundreds of cities who have been celebrating 'Make Music Day' for years when we launched the program in 2016," ASI associate and "Make Music Day" coordinator Natalie Brown said. "Keeping the event free allows the event to focus on what really matters: the diverse musical culture of our communities and the power music has to bring us together."

ASI's programming is made possible by Fund for the Arts, Erie County, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.