What a great concept! Playmusicontheporchday.com and the book Play Music on the Porch Day, by Brian Mallman, illustrated by Pepjin de Jonge, set the stage for my back-to-school, first performance opportunity. And what fun we had! I pulled out all the stops, had drums, ukulele, flute, violin, as well as electric keyboard on my back deck, for everyone to enjoy. My summer students showed off their summer accomplishments, my returning students dusted off Spring Recital music, my parents even joined in the fun and did their best on the handbells. We attempted Mary Had a Little Lamb, as well as Largo, from New World Symphony.
Brian Mallman had the idea, "What if for one day everything stopped...And we all just listened to the music?" The idea took root, and in 2014, the first Play Music on the Porch Day occurred. By 2018, musicians from 70 countries participated, posting their events on the website. "Musicians from across the globe, regardless of their differences, are finding common ground through music... Music is powerful and universal... When you pick up your instrument and start to play, the world disappears and you get lost in the sounds."
We've had rain and high humidity for days; I was afraid we'd be rained out. I spent the whole morning cleaning inside, just in case. By noon, it was just cloudy, so I spent the next hour and a half setting up the back deck. The kids were enthusiastic, the siblings participated, as well as the parents. I even played (very badly, I admit) the violin. But what a blast! And in true party fashion, we had chips and dips and soda. I made peach bars, mm mm good!
I hope to make this an annual event!
