Play Music On The Porch Day

I'd heard about Play Music On The Porch Day a few years ago. An artist acquaintance of mine, Brian Mallman  started this movement in 2013. The idea is, "What if for one day everything stopped...and we all just listened to the music?" Here is more from the website:

Even though this seems like a simple idea, if it worked, it could produce profound results. 

So in 2013 we decided to share this idea with the world and to our surprise the idea spread even faster than we could have eve imagined. In 2018 thousands of musicians from at least 60 countries and over 600 cities participated and the movement continues to grow every day. Musicians from across the globe, regardless of their differences, are finding common ground through music.  Play Music On The Porch Day knows that music is powerful and universal. It doesn't matter if you play an Oud, a Guitarrón, a Nyckelharpa, or a Guitar. When you pick up your instrument and start to play the world disappears and you get lost in the sounds. Music goes beyond words. It can transcend the most difficult barriers. It ties us together like a thread through our hearts. Our skin is many colors but music is in our blood, our bones and our soul."

All you have to do is upload a video of playing music outside on the last Saturday in August  and tag it #playmusicontheporchday.

I participated last year with a short little solo ditty. This year, I thought it would be wonderful to involve my Ukulele Workshop in this online event! Cali Rose is our teacher and she was all for the idea. We'd been practicing a short version of "Wipe Out" by the Surfaris. A while back, when we were practicing these riffs in class, I noticed that the song, "Hanky Panky" by  Tommy James and the Shondells shared the same chord progression as "Wipe Out." I started playing and singing it in class. We ended up sandwiching "Hanky Panky" between our version of "Wipe Out" and a hit was made! This is the medley that we performed for Play Music On The Porch Day.

My wonderful husband, Larry, set up chairs for us in the back parking lot at Boulevard Music in Culver City after our regular Workshop meeting and he shot the video. It's not a perfect rendition, but it's HONEST! We had fun and that's what is important! Thank you to Ellie, Cali, Carol, Jim, Marissa, Joe, Deb, Debbie and Ron for joining me in Play Music On The Porch Day! Larry has named us THE HANKY PRANKSTERS!
You can see more videos of people around the world playing music on their porches by searching the hashtag: #playmusicontheporchday. There are many uploads to Instagram and Facebook. Thank you, Brian Mallman for inventing this international tradition!