Inspiring Music Moments of 2020

As our lives were upended this year due to the global pandemic, the power of music helped get us through with virtual performances and collaborations encouraging, inspiring, and uniting us in a time when we were all at home.

To help close out the year with a smile, we've compiled some of the best virtual and viral music moments of 2020 below.



Artists give back and spread joy

With live, in-person performances canceled, some of the biggest names in music found new ways to share their music with the world, supporting great causes along the way.

Led by Wonder Woman's Gal Gadot, 25 celebrities join in to sing John Lennon's "Imagine" in this mash-up from isolation:

Popular music artists including Dua Lipa, Chris Martin, Jess Glynne, and Bastille collaborate on a BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge cover of Foo Fighters' "Times Like These" from their own homes:

Lady Gaga performs "Smile" during One World: Together At Home:





A two-part Disney Family Singalong

In April, Disney aired The Disney Family Singalong television special (now available to stream on Disney+). The show featured musical performances of popular Disney songs performed from artists homes, including Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato Josh Groban, and many more.




Broadway jumps from the stage to your living room

2020 has been a particularly tough year for the world of live theater, but Broadway has managed to find innovative ways to reach us and keep the music flowing. Disney+ subscribers were even treated to Hamilton's brilliant screen debut in July.

Jimmy Fallon, The Roots, and the original Broadway cast of Hamilton perform "Helpless" with at-home instruments:

Jimmy Fallon and Tony-nominated Andrew Rannells perform a very timely parody titled "2020: The Musical":





Communities come together through impromptu balcony performances

In the early stages of lockdown, musicians found a new way to share their talents with their neighbors...

Italian opera singer Maurizio Marchini serenades the streets of his hometown of Florence with a stunning rendition of Puccini's "Nessun Dorma":

French-Bulgarian singer Alexandra Panayotova treats her neighbors to a rendition of Queen classic "Bohemian Rhapsody":





The biggest viral TikTok music challenges

Popular social media network TikTok provided a platform for people to share music and dance together.

Nathan Apodaca (aka Doggface) brought Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" to a new generation, while inspiring many TikTok re-makes, including Mick Fleetwood himself:





A drum-off for the ages

Speaking of challenges, 13-year old Nandi Bushell challenged Dave Grohl to a drum-off—and the Foo Fighters drummer responded! Grohl then issued his own challenge, and the pair went head-to-head with a performance of "Dead End Friends" by Them Crooked Vultures.




Virtual performances of all kinds explode

With choirs and ensembles unable to rehearse and perform together in the same space, the world was treated to some seriously impressive virtual performances, many featuring hundreds, and even thousands of musicians coming together online!

One of the first large-scale virtual choirs to come to life during the pandemic was the Stay at Home Choir. Here is their first of many projects they have done over the past several months:

Playground Sessions produced a massive-scale virtual piano recital with over 7,000 participants from 52 countries, featuring Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up":



Want to create your own virtual performance? We've put together a handy tutorial to help you make your own virtual performances.


An inspirational story of music and memory

One of the most heart-warming stories of the year is that of dementia-sufferer Paul Harvey and his improvised composition based on four notes.




Isolation-inspired music

While spending time in isolation might not be how most people would have chosen to spend their time, it did provide a source of inspiration for a number of musicians.

Seven-year-old Stelios Kerasidis penned his second composition, "Isolation Waltz":

Avril Lavigne re-recorded her 2019 single "Warriors" as "We Are Warriors," with an empowering and unifying message for all of us:





A double release from Taylor Swift

Few artists have been as productive as Taylor Swift this year. In July, she surprised the music world with the release of the beautiful folk-tinged album, folklore. And in case that wasn't enough, less than five months later, she released a second surprise 'sister record', evermore.




Behind the scenes at Sheet Music Direct

Despite the pandemic, we have been as busy as ever making sure musicians around the world have access to the sheet music they need. Our PASS sheet music subscription continues to grow, and we've continued to make enhancements to both PASS and our website. Earlier this month we announced My Music, a powerful new tool which makes it easy for you to build and manage your personal collection of digital sheet music and audio. We've also expanded our subscription offering by adding over 100,000 titles to PASS this year alone, including the addition of choir, band, and orchestra titles to support educators and students as part of Hal Leonard's distance learning initiatives. Stay tuned for even more exciting things to come in the new year!



That's all...for now!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from your friends at Sheet Music Direct. Thank you for an incredible year of music making. We look forward to bringing you more great sheet music and new experiences throughout 2021.

Looking for the most-popular sheet music of 2020? Check out our Best of 2020 playlists, including the top titles for every instrument across pop, movies & TV, Broadway, classical, Christian, country, and more. Explore over 300,000 premium arrangements from Sheet Music Direct, available to download and play instantly. Powered by Hal Leonard, the world's largest sheet music publisher.

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