Southend Vox, a contemporary choir well-versed in many genres of music, describes the joy and thrill in bringing an entire community together while commemorating Make Music Day and The Queen's Jubilee at their Platinum in the Park concert.
Tell us a bit about your group and what kind of music you play or sing?
Southend Vox is a community choir based in Southend on Sea in Essex. We’re a mixed voice choir singing a wide breadth of contemporary music including pop, rock, gospel, soul, musicals, and anything in between.
What does Make Music Day mean to your group and community?
We love the sentiment of Make Music Day and knowing that we are part of something happening simultaneously across the globe. At a time when there are so many global divisions, it’s amazing that music can cross those divides and bring people together.
How did your group celebrate Make Music Day? What kind of musical activity did you do?
To honour Make Music Day and to tie in with The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations we held a Platinum in the Park concert at our local bandstand. We rented picnic tables and chairs, invited local charities, and provided a variety of children's activities to allow the entire community to come together and rejoice in some wonderful British music. To add some pomp and circumstance to the occasion, we also collaborated with a local brass band and of course the opportunity to join forces with other musicians is exactly what we love about Make Music Day. Watch our Platinum in the Park.
What steps did you take to prepare for this day, and who was involved?
This was a huge event for us to pull off and involved collaboration with our local council, two additional music groups, local charities and many others. We take pride in ourselves for holding concerts that are truly entertaining for our audiences, with something new for them to see every time, and so the preparation took months of planning. 
We had been working on our repertoire for weeks beforehand and held extra rehearsals with the brass band to ensure that our joint numbers also sounded great.
The planning of these moments is so important because it’s the preparation that helps to make the day run smoothly and we were honestly blown away by how fun, uplifting, and successful the day itself was. We performed to a packed space in a beautiful setting and our choir members brought their A-game to the performance!
We love the sentiment of Make Music Day and knowing that we are part of something happening simultaneously across the globe. At a time when there are so many global divisions, it’s amazing that music can cross those divides and bring people together.
What were the day's highlights?
Our choir left the day with many memorable moments and I am confident we will look back on this day with great fondness. My personal favourite moment was observing the many audience members beaming with joy and dancing throughout the concert. You know you’ve put on a great show when no one wants to leave after!
What did you learn from this year’s event? Did participating in Make Music Day have an impact on your group?
We learned that challenging ourselves as a group to explore new things and take on new experiences really pays off - Make Music Day is a testament to that. Bringing entire communities together through music is very important and reflective of who we are as a community choir group. Make Music Day inspired us to share these experiences with other music groups, musicians and music lovers alike. 
Have you come across any inspiring stories about others who were celebrating Make Music Day in your community?
Not any specific, but it’s always very inspiring to watch what other groups are doing and how they are celebrating, knowing we are all sharing this moment together is incredibly special.
Did your group put on a musical activity last year? If so, were there any significant differences from the previous year, especially after Covid?
Yes, last year we put together a virtual video of Stand by Me and entered the Make Music Day competition. We were absolutely delighted to be one of the 5 national runners up of the competition!
Creating virtual videos throughout Covid was incredibly important to our group as it made us feel connected and having the resources and ability to continue to make music together in one of the most difficult of circumstances is something we look back on with great pride.
This year’s activities could not have been more different, and the chance to celebrate by making music in person, live, and with other musicians was a wonderful and rewarding experience. We have continued to create more videos and digital content so we can look back and relive those special moments - it is one of the lasting legacies of Covid.
Bringing entire communities together through music is very important and reflective of who we are as a community choir group. Make Music Day provided the wonderful opportunity and inspired us to share these experiences with other music groups, musicians and music lovers alike.
Will you take part next year and if so, what do you think you might do?
I am confident that we will continue to celebrate Make Music Day each year because we want to continue to expand our creative horizons, and Make Music Day provides an excellent opportunity to do so.
What advice would you give anyone thinking about taking part in Make Music Day with their group?
Our advice to anyone considering participating is to go for it! It's a truly inclusive, diverse, and inspiring event to be a part of, and knowing that you're sharing a moment with musicians and music makers from all over the world is incredibly special. What's not to appreciate about that?
Watch our Platinum in the Park concert.
Find out more about Southend Vox via their website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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