Participants in a musical activity during Make Music Day
APAEs, long-term care facilities, socio-educational units and social projects

Music as Inclusion

Music as a right, an encounter and a form of participation. On Make Music Day | Make Music, APAEs, long-term care facilities, retirement homes, socio-educational units, projects in prison units, social organizations and communities can turn rooms, courtyards, gathering spaces and institutional settings into places of listening, expression and collective presence.

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Music is a right for everyone

Anyone can make music, anywhere, with any level of experience.

Make Music Day | Make Music was born as an open celebration. For inclusion institutions, long-term care facilities, retirement homes, day centers for the elderly, socio-educational units, projects in prison units and social organizations, this openness creates a concrete opportunity to value life stories, bring together participants, families, caregivers, reference teams, artists and the community, and place culture at the heart of daily life in the territory.

This page is built on a simple editorial decision: music will be treated as a language of coexistence, autonomy, affection, memory, learning, expression and cultural citizenship, without reducing participants to a narrative of individual achievement.

Who can participate

Institutions, support networks and local partners.

Participation can happen inside the institution itself or in partnership with squares, theaters, cultural centers, universities, churches, companies, radio stations, local commerce, partner schools and public facilities.

APAEsActivities with students, families, staff and community.
Specialized educational servicesCultural programs integrated into the support and development routine of participants.
Institutions for people with disabilitiesMusical experiences that respect autonomy, communication and support.
Long-term care facilities and retirement homesMusical circles, cultural visits and gatherings with families, staff and community.
Day centers for the elderlyMusical gatherings with participants, family members, caregivers and local networks.
Socio-educational unitsAuthorized cultural activities with adolescents, educators and reference teams.
Prison units and education projectsCircles, workshops and internal performances, always with institutional authorization and a security protocol.
Social and community projectsWorkshops, circles, performances and neighborhood actions.
Partner schoolsWhen it makes sense, schools can support local institutions with spaces, musical groups and community engagement.
CSOs and cultural organizationsCultural mobilization with free access and community participation.
Choirs, bands and percussion groupsExisting groups can join the local program.
Public departments and agenciesEducation, Culture, Social Welfare, Disability Affairs, Elderly Affairs, Justice and Human Rights can articulate the network.
Supporting companiesLocal brands can support structure, transportation, documentation and outreach.
How an institution can participate

Start with a simple format, proportional to your group.

The institution does not need to put together a big event. What matters most is organizing a free, safe, authorized musical experience that is consistent with its participants.

  1. Organize a music circle with participants, family members and staff.
  2. Hold a performance with a choir, band, percussion ensemble, marching band, guitar, flute, singing or body music.
  3. Invite local musicians for a musical experience.
  4. Hold a musical memory circle with elderly people, families and staff.
  5. Create an internal music workshop in a socio-educational or prison unit, when authorized.
  6. Set up an instrument-building workshop using accessible materials.
  7. Record a short video, always with image authorization.
  8. Hold a performance open to the community.
  9. Join the programs of cultural centers, universities, public squares, partner institutions or public facilities.
  10. Connect the institution with a municipal department or cultural foundation.
  11. Create a sensory-friendly, accessible and welcoming activity.
  12. Celebrate during the week of June 21st, when the date falls on a weekend.
Accessibility considerations

Each institution knows its participants best.

The program should respect rhythms, forms of communication, sensory comfort, mobility, autonomy, image consent, the institution's routine, security protocols and support needs. The Make Music Day | Make Music team can suggest simple formats so each group can take part in its own way.

The musical activity does not replace educational, therapeutic, clinical or social services. It adds to the cultural life of the institution as an experience of coexistence, expression, listening and participation.

Free activityNo charge for participants or audience.
Respectful languageCommunication without stereotypes or infantilization.
Image consentPhotos and videos only with authorization.
Safe and accessible spaceCompatible entrance, circulation, stay and support.
Appropriate volumeSensory comfort and breaks whenever needed.
Suitable durationLength proportional to the group and the activity.
Voluntary participationNo forced exposure of any participant.
Reference staffInstitutional professionals present during the activity.
Institutional authorizationIn socio-educational and prison units, the activity requires formal approval and a local protocol.
Clear communicationFamilies, staff and community informed in simple terms.
Proper creditInstitution, photographers, artists and partners properly identified.
Documented examples in Paraná

Public cases that connect institutions, community culture and inclusion.

Paraná brings together examples of participation in APAEs, partner institutions, universities, municipal networks and community spaces. These are different paths that show how music can reach many institutions without requiring a large structure.

Affinitas Show Band from APAE Ponta Grossa in a musical performance
Ponta Grossa

APAE, university and musical community

Documented participation with APAE PG and the Affinitas Show Band.

In Ponta Grossa, the documented program included the municipal education network, UEPG, the Maestro Paulino Conservatory, local artists and APAE PG, with activities and performances by the Affinitas Show Band, made up of students from the institution.

The case shows how Make Music Day can integrate different spaces across the city and value groups that already use music as a practice of coexistence, training and participation.

Sources: Diário dos Campos and City Council
Musical group from APAE Maringá taking part in Make Music Day | Make Music
Maringá

APAE, community and Music-Friendly City

Community participation with institutional recognition.

Maringá has become a reference for Make Music Day | Make Music in Paraná by engaging the municipal network, artists, public spaces and the community. In 2025, the City Hall held an open stage at the Urban Terminal and mobilized the local network around the date.

Public records of the movement mention the participation of APAE Maringá and its musical groups, reinforcing the connection between community culture, institutional presence and inclusion.

Source: City of Maringá
Musical activity at Make Music Day | Make Music in Tapejara with participants and audience
Tapejara

Inclusion on the Make Music Day map

Participation record linked to APAE and community culture.

Tapejara appears in Make Music Brazil records as a Paraná city connected to APAE participation in Make Music Day. Its presence reinforces the reach of the movement beyond the major centers.

For inclusion institutions, Tapejara is an example of how simple, publicly recorded actions help put new territories on the national map of Make Music Day | Make Music.

Source: Make Music Brazil
Foz do Iguaçu

Partner institutions and municipal network

APAE, ACDD, Apasfi, Nosso Canto and Escola Alternativa at Make Music Day | Make Music.

In Foz do Iguaçu, Make Music Day entered the municipal network and partner institutions as a cultural participation initiative. The City Hall registered mobilization with partner units, schools and early childhood centers, including APAE, ACDD, Apasfi, Nosso Canto and Escola Alternativa.

The city also expanded its program in later years, with activities in public spaces, tourist sites, cultural projects and facilities of the local network.

Source: City of Foz do Iguaçu
Nova Londrina

APAE choir at Make Music Day

Public record of a performance with APAE students.

Nova Londrina stands out as an important signal for the inclusion page through a public record of a choir formed by students of the city's APAE performing at Make Music Day | Make Music.

The case shows a simple, replicable format: an institution organizes its own musical participation, brings in family members, friends and teachers, and registers its presence in the movement.

Source: Make Music Day Official Brazil on Instagram
City halls, companies and universities

Supporting a local institution is also making Make Music happen.

City halls, departments, cultural foundations, municipal councils, companies, universities, justice agencies, protection networks and education programs can help institutions take part by offering transportation, venues, sound, audiovisual recording, sign-language interpreters, outreach materials, instruments, workshops, accessible stages or connections with city artists. This support can also reach long-term care facilities, retirement homes, day centers for the elderly, socio-educational units and cultural projects in prison units.

Connect volunteer musiciansBring APAEs, long-term care facilities, socio-educational units, social projects, artists and local collectives closer together.
Open public spacesAuditoriums, squares, cultural centers and municipal theaters.
Support sound infrastructureA format proportional to the activity and to participants' comfort.
Build a municipal agendaBring together inclusive performances during the week of the event.
Value existing groupsChoirs, bands, marching bands and percussion groups from institutions.
Document with authorizationImage, credit and context must be correct from the start.
June 21st, 2026

Your institution can make music too.

On June 21st, or during the week of the event, open up a space for music to happen. It can be a simple performance, a singing circle, a workshop, a choir, a video, an experience with families or a partnership with city artists.

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Make Music Day | Make Music is powered by ANAFIMA in Brazil and is part of a global celebration present in more than 2,000 cities. Participation is free, open and collaborative.