Lifestyle Home Julie Macklowe Throws the Best Summer Party in the Hamptons — And She'll Tell You How She Does It VH1 Save the Music Hamptons Live Is in her Backyard By Mackenzie Schmidt Mackenzie Schmidt Mackenzie Schmidt is the Home and Travel Editor for PEOPLE. She's worked at PEOPLE for over five years as a writer and editor on the Lifestyle team. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 1, 2020 02:54 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Brandusa Niro On first glance, you may think that Julie Macklowe was chosen as the host of the VH1 Save the Music Hamptons Live party because she has a gorgeous house in Sagaponack, New York, an impressive social network garnered from years as a hedge funder and beauty brand exec, and a history of entertaining everyone from fashion designers to Sean Paul. All true. But you might not guess it’s also because she played trombone in her public high school’s marching band. “I really attribute the discipline I had growing up to playing in marching band. Music education was so important to me staying focused,” says the society figure and CEO of vbeauté. “It was a friend who helped me buy my instrument because we couldn’t afford it, and that’s what Save the Music does.” RELATED: PHOTOS: Matt Lauer Lists Another Hamptons Estate, This Time for $18 Million Courtesy Fifth Harmony The nonprofit’s goal is to bolster music education in schools, as the programs are often the first to go when budgets are tight. To date, it has donated $52 million dollars worth of new musical instruments to nearly 2,000 public schools in the U.S., a feat that has impacted over 2.8 million students. This will be Macklowe’s third summer hosting the event, which has featured intimate performances by Ingrid Michaelson and Jason Derulo, and this year, Fifth Harmony, in her Hamptons backyard. And her M.O. from the start has been to throw the anti-Hamptons Hamptons party. “When you think of a typical gala, it’s seated and it’s really rigorous and you have to listen to a bunch of speeches. And my view is that this is the exact opposite,” says Macklowe. “It’s about good food, good music and good friends. To have people dancing for an hour in the Hamptons is just never the case.” Yes, Jason Derulo Has a Bar in His Bathroom: ‘It Would Suck to Come All the Way Downstairs if I Wanted a Mojito’ Courtesy VH1 Save The Music This year’s festivities boast a “Breezy Baja” theme orchestrated by David Masenheimer of Ramparts Productions and food by Peter Callahan. There will be boozy popsicle carts, heirloom tomato trees on the tables, and s’mores and whiskey bars. The cast of Orange is the New Black, Katie Lee, Ramona Singer and “maybe Amber Rose” will be in attendance. WATCH THIS: WATCH: Fifth Harmony Open About Performing At the 2016 Billboard Music Awards The event is presumably an incredibly stressful undertaking even for a practiced host. “I’m not new to throwing large parties, that’s for sure. And I do enjoy doing it,” says Macklowe, adding with a laugh, “It takes a certain fortitude and you can’t get too anxiety ridden. Or you should take Xanax. That would be my recommendation to people.” A limited number of tickets are still available for the August 27th event for $750, with all proceeds going to VH1 Save the Music. Visit on.vh1.com/hamptonslive2016.