The Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra (EYSO) Percussion Ensemble will host a free and open-to-the-public interactive musical experience at Hawthorne Hill Nature Center. Community members of all ages and all musical abilities are invited to roll, tap, and crash in spontaneous musical merriment on a series of gongs positioned along the wooded trail.

This event is made possible by the support of Hawthorne Hill Nature Center, which has partnered with EYSO to host this event. The gong trail will occur on the trails of Hawthorne Hill Nature Center (28 Brookside Dr, Elgin, IL 60123) and go from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 pm.
Visitors are welcome to warm up inside Hawthorne Hill Nature Center with free hot chocolate. In addition, the first 50 visitors will receive a free ceramic EYSO mug.
This event runs in conjunction with National Make Music Day, which is an initiative that encourages groups across the nation to create music-based parade events on the winter solstice. These events are free and open to anyone who wants to take part. Every kind of musician—young and old, amateur and professional, of every musical persuasion—pours onto streets, parks, plazas, and porches to share their music with friends, neighbors, and strangers.