By Zoē Bethea
Originating in Paris, France in 1982, the “La Fête de la Musique,” translated as World Day of Music, has been celebrated in over 1,000 cities within 120 countries. This includes our very own Charlotte, North Carolina alongside areas in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and North America, displaying music’s distinctive ability to transcend boundaries.
The idea is that World Day of Music is all about you, the listener, engaging with music anywhere, from any genre, with anyone. Whether it’s in a cafe, on a lawn, in a park, at home, in your car with WDAV, or in your neighbor’s garage, the more exposure to music, in perhaps some unconventional ways, the better.
Now, the marvelous music that fills the day can easily take center stage, however, what truly makes World Day of Music special is the camaraderie it brings within the community. It is not about how many seats can be sold or how much the greatest venue can hold, rather how to give the gift of music freely for others to enjoy. Even though music can simply be a favorite pastime, an emphasized day can afford you the opportunity to reflect on why music is important, what music makes you feel, and how it can be crucial to share that with others.
With events from cafe jazz, to a symphony night on the lawn, or live lounge sessions with acoustic performances on a street corner, all of these different ways of experiencing music that become available on a day like World Day of Music, are not only fun and creative ways that local artist get to showcase their talents openly, but local members of the community get to step out of their musical comfort zones and expose themselves to new things and new people.
The music provided can also help to inspire its listeners to then create their own variations or make adaptations to what they hear, thus taking the music into their own hands while uplifting other artists.
Being able to pick back up an instrument that may or may not have collected dust, does not present itself too often, which is why taking the chance on World Day of Music is worthwhile. It might allow you to get back into a meaningful and enjoyable hobby that once filled so much of your time or brought you great joy.
Whether it is attending a hundred local concerts, sharing your musical abilities on social media and with those close to you, or hosting your own music event, these avenues allow you to express yourself in an amusing and entertaining way through music with others. You help build up our community when you share your gifts and choose to come together with those around you.
As you look forward to more World Music Days in the future here are some things to keep in mind: Let the performances inspire you. Let the lyrics provoke you. Let the energy move you.
Zoē Bethea is a rising junior who is majoring in Journalism with a minor in Spanish. She joins WDAV as a marketing intern this summer and hopes to master the art of effectively engaging and informing the audience.