The Smithsonian hopes to get the public’s help plotting out D.C. musical sounds and history by using an online interactive map.
The D.C. Music Map was launched last month during “D.C.: The Social Power of Music” programs at the Smithsonian’s Folklife Festival.
Users can jump online and place a pin on the map with a link to either sound clips or images.
Some examples include a woman who saw her neighbor playing a piano on his porch in Mount Pleasant, and a poster from 1986 advertising a performance at “d.c. space,” which used to have live punk performances at Seventh and E streets Northwest.
There are other posts that point out old music shops that used to operate in the District and more that highlight some impromptu musical renditions during protests over the years.
One features the signing of “This Land is Your Land” during the 2017 Women’s March near the National Mall and another of a man who began reciting “My Country Tis of Thee” during last year’s racial demonstrations near the White House.
The museum also commissioned “Wardscapes” that explore the District’s sounds within each of the District’s eight wards.
In the map’s legend, users are asked to add their own music experiences, to show the “ways music connects us to people, places and moments” with “examples of how music animates our experiences.”
Click here to see the D.C. Music Map.
