Business Feature: Dresher School of Music

Margery Hesney has been studying music in some form since she was 5 years old.

“I originally went to school for microbiology, but I always played the violin and guitar and piano and viola,” said Hesney.

Even with her love of music, Hesney went on to earn her master's in microbiology.

“I was always involved in music. I was in orchestras, I played the guitar, I sang in coffee houses in college. Then, I decided music was my first love, and I gave up microbiology,” said Hesney.

Hesney was working at a business utilizing her degree in microbiology, and even taught microbiology at a local community college.

“I gave it all up to pursue music full time, and I love it,” said Hesney.

In January 2001, Hesney became the founder of the Dresher School of Music.

“I used to be the director of another music program for about 15 years in the local area. I noticed that once the kids outgrew that class, they had no other outlet for their music education in this area. That’s when I started the Dresher School of Music,” said Hesney, “There was no local music school in the area, and I wanted to give kids, and adults, an opportunity to further their music education.”

In addition to running the Dresher School of Music, Hesney also plays in three orchestras and chamber groups around the area.

The school offers individual lessons in strings, woodwinds, brass, piano, guitar and voice for beginners to advanced students.

“We offer instrumental and vocal lessons for children and adults,” said Hesney. “The only thing we don’t teach is percussion.”

In addition to individual classes, the school offers a “Music for Little Mozarts” program. This class is a keyboard class for children ages 4 to 6.

“We have another program called Sally’s Music Circle. Those are parent/child movement classes for infants to 4 years old,” she said.

Every year, in June, the school holds a recital for the students to showcase their work.

In the future, the school is trying to start a variety of new programs, including a children’s chorus and a musical theater program.

“We are planning on starting a music theater program just to give kids an idea of how to audition for musical theater. We will have some kind of performance to showcase their work, like a cabaret type of performance,” said Hesney.

The school also holds performances for charities and the community.

“There are a lot of people involved in music in the schools. The Upper Dublin School Music Program is a very good music program, but they don’t have the ability to offer private lessons to the school. For children that are very interested in music, I wanted to offer them something else,” said Hesney.

The Dresher School of Music aims to help provide that service to children or adults who want to further their music education.

According to the business's website, “our belief is that music should be an integral part of every life and accessible to all ages and levels of proficiency.”

For more information about the Dresher School of Music, visit the website at www.dreshermusic.com.