Musical Swings Harmonizing in Detroit

For those of you with the Motor City either in your backyard or on your travel itinerary within the next few weeks, here's a fun excuse to bundle up and grab a swing in downtown Detroit.

“The Swings: An Exercise in Musical Cooperation” is a charming musical swing installation visiting Campus Martius Park (from Montreal) April 7 to May 8.

When in motion, each swing generates a musical tone from a particular instrument -- guitar, harp, piano and vibraphone.

The swings can also create melodies... but only when your neighbor's swing moves in unison with yours.

"It's all about cooperation and the notion that together we can achieve more," says Sarah Mackenzie, storyteller for Daily tous les jour, creator of the traveling civic installation. "We inspire a sense of possibility.

"If we can get all people of ages and backgrounds to swing in musical harmony here, imagine all the other ways we can achieve more playful, livable and happy cities."

Detroit's installation is co-sponsored by Quicken Loans --  makes it seem like just the thing to wipe those tax cares away, doesn't it?

Might as well grab a swing and enjoy making music with complete strangers / new collaborators.

That's just the formula Detroit's working on the last few years, and it's definitely starting to take flight. (Right, Yessian, North Star and ELFXI?) Why not join in the fun?