Hal Leonard Europe and Make Music Day partner to Bring Sunshine to the UK!

Leading music publisher Hal Leonard Europe (HLE) is continuing its support of Make Music Day with a range of initiatives to get people playing and participating.

Make Music Day is all about the joy of making music and is celebrated all over the world on the summer solstice (21 June). In previous years, Make Music Day events have taken place in all kinds of unusual public spaces across the country; as the UK will only just be emerging from lockdown in June, this year the day will mainly happen online, and the organisers have compiled a range of resources to help people stream their performances. Under Coronavirus restrictions, remote music-making feels like the ‘new normal’, with virtual choirs and ensembles springing up and people sharing their music on social media. Make Music Day 2020 will capture the success and ingenuity that has come from this extraordinary period while also providing a great opportunity to celebrate an eventual return to making music together.

HLE is proud to once again provide sheet music for the classic song ‘Bring Me Sunshine’, which has become the ‘anthem’ for Make Music Day. In collaboration with Wise Music Group, a selection of sheet music arrangements of the song are available for free for Make Music Day participants to use, ranging from simple piano versions to full orchestra. This year, HLE will help judge a competition to find the best cover version of ‘Bring Me Sunshine’, details of which can be found here. The first prize is a £150 voucher to spend at Musicroom.com. In addition, everyone taking part in a Make Music Day event can claim a special discount on Musicroom.com – see here for full details.

Part of the ethos of Make Music Day is that it is open to absolutely everyone, no matter their playing ability – and it’s not too late to start! There’s no better instrument to take up as a complete beginner than the ukulele. To help get people playing, Musicroom has a special uke offer of 25% off a Pure Tone Deluxe Soprano Ukulele and best-selling tuition books Ukulele From The Beginning and the Hal Leonard Ukulele Method, Book 1 – see here for details. Can you take up the challenge, and learn to play ‘Bring Me Sunshine’ in time for Make Music Day?

“The Coronavirus period has demonstrated the power of the arts to bring people together in spirit, even when forced apart – we all need to be making music more than ever, and we’re proud and excited at Hal Leonard Europe to continue our of support Make Music Day. There’s no agenda for the day other than the joy of music-making, and no barrier to entry: absolutely everyone can take part.”
Tom Farncombe, Strategic Partnerships Director, Hal Leonard Europe

“21 June is a special day for music-making across the globe, and despite the current pandemic, we are determined to keep the celebrations going this year. Make Music Day is an open invitation for everyone to make music anywhere and everywhere, and this year we invite you to join one of the online Make Music Day initiatives. We’re delighted to be partnering with Hal Leonard Europe on the ‘Bring me Sunshine’ song competition and ukulele challenge. We hope this will inspire people across the UK, and indeed the world, to come together and be connected through music on 21 June.”
Alison Porter, Make Music Day UK