United in HARMANy: Celebrating the Power of Making Music

Originally published on HARMAN Newsroom

Music holds the remarkable ability to transcend boundaries and connect people from all backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs. At HARMAN, we have experienced first-hand the power of music in bringing us closer – something we have celebrated throughout our company’s history, and for the last nearly ten years, as part of our global Make Music Day celebrations.

This year, our theme for Make Music Day was “United in HARMANy,” with a focus on how music can empower and encourage people around the world to come together and embrace the power of music to foster a sense of unity and harmony. Read on for a closer look at our musical celebrations and activities from the past month…

A Shared Rhythmic Relay 
Together with our partners at the Make Music Alliance, this year we sponsored an international music relay, called “Pulsations.” On Make Music Day, musical artists from 24 countries through Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe performed live, connected by a shared beat that was set by renowned-trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf. Our friend and longtime global brand ambassador, A.R. Rahman, joined the Pulsations relay from India, with a moving performance that reminded everyone of the unifying power of music.

As a leader in audio innovations, HARMAN understands the need for state-of-the-art audio equipment and technologies to power one-of-a-kind performances. Through our support of the Pulsations program this year, we provided each artist with one of our AKG microphones – ensuring that listeners around the world were able to enjoy Pulsations with crystal clear audio!

Listen to: Make Music Day 2024: Pulsations | AR Rahman | India

Connecting our Global Employees 
Our employees also participated in a musical relay of their own through our HARMAN Employee Spotify Playlist. Based on employee submissions, we created a collection of songs specially curated by our team members around the world – in the end more than 46 songs were included in the playlist that powered some of our local celebrations!

From Brazil to Mexico, and Germany to India and beyond, our team members came together in full force to spread the unifying power of music, celebrate together, and give back to their local communities:

• In Northridge, CA, employees celebrated with an office-wide summer barbecue, complete with a special performance from Girls Make Beats, a local nonprofit organization that supports young women chasing their dreams in the music production, DJ, and audio engineering fields. Our Northridge team also announced a sponsorship to provide one deserving individual with a scholarship to attend the Girls Make Beats program.
• At the JBL Store in New York City, passersby and Make Music Day celebrants enjoyed a live performance from a local band, while checking out the latest audio offerings from JBL.
• Our own HARMAN musicians took the stage to share their musical talents at our summer picnic in Novi, MI, but it was the band of young musicians from our longtime partner Music Will who really stole the show with their performance!

Our team members around the globe are passionate about spreading the power of music and helping their communities better understand the power of music to inspire us all. To learn more about our HARMAN Inspired initiatives and how we’re working with our nonprofit partners to expand access to music and music education, visit: https://www.harman.com/inspired