Three Generations of Music

Music Together of Chester has been bringing music to local families for 12 years, and is fortunate to welcome Max Dreeman Meyer as its Summer Session teacher. Max is a 2017 Mendham High School graduate who just completed his first year as a music performance major at New York University.

Music is something Max was born to. His grandfather, Ray Dreeman, was a gifted, self-taught percussionist. Ray’s daughter, Cynthia Dreeman Meyer, recalls growing up in East Orange and Newark where money was tight and entertainment was self-orchestrated, literally, as folks gathered in the Dreeman home on weekend nights with guitars, Latin and African drums, maracas and tambourines. Growing up with this rich musical buffet facilitated Cynthia’s lifelong love of, and affinity for, music.

The joy of family music-making was passed on to a third generation when Max was born to Cynthia and husband Ken in 1999. Ray had Max playing a conga before he could sit up by himself, and Cynthia began taking Max to Music Together classes when he was four-months old. Shortly thereafter, Cynthia retired from her career as a trial attorney, began teaching Music Together, and several years later, started her own center, Music Together of Chester.

Music Together is an internationally renowned, innovative, and super-fun pre-school music and movement program for families with children from birth to kindergarten. Cynthia is recognized by Music Together as an outstanding teacher with exceptional achievement in musicianship and program philosophy, and is thrilled to be joined by Max this summer, who brings much musical talent, achievement and passion to the class.

Max was named Principal Percussionist of the NYU Orchestra as a freshman. He plays in numerous other NYU ensembles and performs annually at the Woodstock Drum Boogie Festival. Prior to college, Max was Principal Percussionist with the New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS) and the NJYS Percussion Ensemble, where he also served as a student conductor. In the Spring of 2016, he won best soloist at the North Jersey Band Festival. He has performed throughout Europe as the Percussion Section Leader of the American Music Abroad Tour (Summer 2015), and as Principal with NJYS (Summer 2017), where the ensemble competed in and won first place at the prestigious Summa Cum Laude International Music Festival in Vienna, Austria. During every year of high school, Max was awarded membership by competition to the North Jersey Regional Band (Section Leader 2017), and the All State Band (2017).

Max’s professional experience includes teaching private drum lessons at the Piano Workshop, Chester, NJ (2016-17), and co-teaching Music Together’s “Big Kids” class at the Westmont Montessori School, Mendham NJ (2017).

Max loves kids and is interested in the study of brain/musical development in young children. He is excited to join what is a “Family” business in two ways: the second generation of his family teaching the Music Together program; and a business that is all about FAMILY and the happiness and connection facilitated by music-making. He hopes that many families will join him this summer! More information about Music Together of Chester and the Summer Session is available at www.musictogetherofchester.com