NATIONAL BUY A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT DAY | MAY 22
Each year on May 22nd we observe National Buy a Musical Instrument Day. The day is all about playing music. If you are a musician, it might be time for a new instrument. Maybe you can learn to play a second or third one. If you have never played an instrument before, this celebration may be the motivation you need.
#BuyAMusicalInstrumentDay
Wander into any music shop and the person behind the counter will be passionate about the instruments. It will not matter if the instrument is brass, strung, percussion, or a woodwind. Their enthusiasm for any patron’s interest in music will show. And no matter your age, a musical instrument will bring joy to your life. String together a few notes on a keyboard or take some music lessons. Add a new instrument to your repertoire.
National Buy A Musical Instrument Day also reminds you that playing music comes with huge benefits.
- Playing music boosts brain function and improves math skills.
- It’s a social activity that also teaches discipline, teamwork, how to take criticism (and compliments), while building confidence, too!
- Regularly playing a musical instrument is a great cardio workout for the lungs and can improve your posture.
- Many musicians turn to music for relaxation.
Make it a family affair, too. Grandpa can play his ukelele while the grandkids play the drums, trombone, and flute. Together they can all make terrific music!
HOW TO OBSERVE BUY A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT DAY
National Buy a Musical Instrument Day gives you permission to explore your way to a new musical instrument. No matter your age or musical experience, May 22nd is the day to go instrument shopping. What better way to celebrate than by adding music to your life? While you are shopping, give a shout-out to your favorite music shop using #BuyAMusicalInstrumentDay to post on social media.
NATIONAL BUY A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT DAY HISTORY
National Day Calendar continues researching the origins of this musical holiday.
We were unable to find any information supporting National Buy a Musical Instrument Day was originally May 18th in honor of Meredith Willson, the writer, and composer of The Music Man. While the plot of The Music Man and Willson’s hometown inspiration for the book, musical, and film has a delightful kinship to this day, at this time we are unable to confirm the origin of this day.
May 22nd Celebrated History
1819
The Savannah set sail from Savannah, Georgia to England starting the first successful transoceanic voyage from the U.S and launching the country’s maritime service.
1906
Orville and Wilbur Wright obtain U.S. patent No. 821,393 for their flight control technique. The patent is considered the first airplane patent.
1987
Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand hosts the first-ever Rugby World Cup.
1992
Talk show host Johnny Carson hosts his final episode of The Tonight Show.
2017
President Donald Trump visits the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and becomes the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Wailing Wall (also known as the Western Wall or Buraq Wall).
May 22nd Celebrated Birthdays
Mary Cassatt – 1844
The French-trained American painter and print-maker is known for her impressionist paintings.
Arthur Conan Doyle – 1859
The British writer authored The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Lost World and the popular Sherlock Holmes series. In 1927, Doyle published photographs of two girls surrounded by “verified” fairies. He claimed that fairies and gnomes existed and the pictures supplied the photographic evidence.
Ted Kaczynski – 1942
In 1996, the FBI arrested Kaczynski in connection with 18 years of bombings across the United States. Dubbed the Una-bomber, his bombings killed three people and injured several others. He pled guilty and was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Dustin Moskovitz – 1984
In 2004, Moskovitz co-founded The Facebook with Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum and Chris Hughes.