Hedi LaMarr
Reggae artist Super Irie performing at Warner Park as part of last year's Make Music Madison event.
Les Hoffman was skeptical when he heard about the idea for Make Music Madison.
A singer-songwriter who plays in two traditional New Orleans-style jazz groups, Hoffman went to one of the initial organizational meetings for the event, which features free concerts by local musicians in locations throughout the city. “I expressed some concern that this is going to be taking away from money-paying gigs, jobs that musicians have to hustle for anyway.”
After participating in the event despite those initial misgivings, his perspective shifted. “Now I see it as more of something for underserved musicians in Madison, people who have a lot of talent and musical abilities who don’t really have a supporting musical venue where they can play.”
Hoffman’s change of heart was so dramatic that he wrote a song especially for Make Music Madison, which will be unveiled at this year’s event on June 21. It’s called “It’s in Us,” and everyone’s invited to join in. For people who read music, there’s downloadable sheet music for 23 instruments orchestrated by high school band director and UW-Platteville music teacher Nancy Fairchild. But all are welcome to show up to play the song together.
It’s that spirit that drives Make Music Madison’s “mass appeal” events. Whether it’s the “It’s in Us” performance, a massive choir sing, One Hundred Harmonicas (a free lesson where the first 100 people get a free harmonica), a ukulele orchestra or a drum circle, the event organizers strive to make music as participatory as possible.
Make Music Madison is part of a larger festival that takes place in more than 450 locations around the globe, and, at least according to the numbers, Madison has embraced it wholeheartedly. The city’s participation is second only to New York’s, with this year’s celebration including almost 400 concerts at more than 100 locations.
Yet some remain dubious about how much professional musicians actually gain from participating in the event. Rick Tvedt, president of the Madison Area Music Association, says it was initially billed as a boon for professional artists, which “left a bad taste in a lot of working musicians’ mouths.”
“I’ve always felt that the drawback of Make Music Madison was that it was rolled out as a music initiative,” says Tvedt, who labels it more of a community and cultural event. “I was also a bit annoyed at first with how much money the city spends, and almost all of it goes to the administration, not musicians.” For the first two years of the festival, the city of Madison contributed $25,000; this year it gave $20,000.
Tvedt allows that the event provides important opportunities for amateurs and young musicians, but Jamie Kember, a music instructor at Madison College, says it has benefits for people playing at all levels. “Whether they are new to an instrument or whether it’s someone who is retired and looking for an excuse to bust out their guitar, and all the way to a professional musician — it helps connect everyone to some kind of performance space.”
Kember makes much of his living as a musician, playing trombone in several Latin and African bands and with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. “The biggest supporters of live music are those who actively practice it,” Kember says. “Make Music Madison will undoubtedly lead to more people engaging with live music throughout the year, which is a win for musicians who make any portion of their living from performing.”
Kember says having 100 stages set up all over the city opens the door to creating more venues for musicians to play, and some professional groups do actually negotiate payment, sell merchandise and collect substantial tips at their concerts.
“Most of the audience members recognize that the people that are hosting aren’t paying the musicians, so the people are a little more willing to open their pockets and give some money,” Kember says. “I would say a lot of performers do make a lot of money that day.”
For some aspiring artists, getting in front of an audience is an important first step. Amateur musician Kristine Beck will perform at Make Music Madison for the second time. Last year she sang with her duo Still Jaded After All These Years. Since then she started the Harwood String Quartet, in which she plays the cello.
“It was really great to have an easy way to get out here and have an audience,” Beck says. “The whole vibe of the event felt very open and friendly. It was really a blast.”
And having a date with the public spurs creativity, too. It was only after she and Joe Bauer, her partner in the duo, signed up for Make Music Madison that they really started getting their repertoire together.
“Putting live music in all corners of the city,” says Kember, “is an awesome way to encourage people to connect with their neighbors.”
Hedi LaMarr
Many musicians play for free, but some collect substantial tips.
Get in on the action
There is still time to sign up for some of the “mass appeal” events for Make Music Madison, including performing “It’s in Us,” One Hundred Harmonicas, Ukeleles Unite!, drum circle and ’60s rock band, at makemusicmadison.org/mass-appeal. For details on other performances and venues see makemusicmadison.org.
