Martha Meek, a Suttons Bay resident, owner of Martha Meek Music Studio, and brilliant musician, finds joy in instructing the counties youth, voicing that, “it is an honor to be apart of their lives, even passed music.”
Martha had just received an invitation to a former students wedding, showing the lasting impression and importance she has on the Leelanau youth and adults alike.
Martha moved to Suttons Bay in 2017 but has “visited here her whole life.” She said the decision was easy, as she has family and friends scattered around the area, from Cadillac, Kingsley, Honor, Petoskey, and Traverse City.
“The family background was the main reason we knew this area was so beautiful,” she said. “This has always been like a home for me,” Martha said, along with expressing that she “would be landing up here somewhere.”
Martha had been giving private music lessons since well before living in Leelanau, but has really found success and fulfillment with the youth up here.
As owner of Martha Meek Music Studio, she has been giving private lessons to students of any age, full time since the late 1990s.
“As my role as a private music instructor, I am definitely in the lives of an awful lot of kids,” Martha said. “ You make an impression on everyone that you meet and you want to make sure that the impression that you make is a positive one.”
Recently, Martha’s students had recitals, one with 14 students that each selected a song or two to perform for the others and their families, and the other with four adult students doing the same. Martha said that her drive to teach and fulfillment is the students.
“I work to bring out the best in every single student,” she said adding, “That job is more than just teaching music, I become a part of the child’s village. It is an Old African proverb, it takes a village to raise a child. Being a part of that ‘village’ is an honor.”
An avid kayaker, Meek also expressed her love for local nature.
“Nature is my sanctuary, the water up here is so amazingly beautiful. I love hiking trails — Clay Cliffs, Pyramid Point and the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive.
She also appreciates the TART Trail and all of the other hikes and the views that come with Leelanau.
“One of the other things I love about the Leelanau Peninsula is that we have no box stores and no fast food in the whole county. I love that so much. Because of that, our little, tiny downtowns are thriving, Suttons Bay, Leland, Lake Leelanau, ” Meek said, expressing gratitude to the Leelanau Conservancy for helping to keep the county local and unique.
One of Martha’s biggest accomplishments is the development of the Ukulele Orchestra of Suttons Bay. This group features all adult students of hers and has played in events such as Leelanau Uncaged, a set at the Traverse City Opera House, the Northport Dog Parade, and recently the Old Art Building in Leland, as part of a school program where students get to watch performers. The Ukulele Orchestra will be performing at the Suttons Bay Library’s Summer Kickoff.
Martha has impacted the community of the county through her teaching, kindness, and outreach and will continue to do so. Music has been the medium that has brought so many people together for years and a major feature in Martha’s life. She is the reserve music minister for the St. Kateri Tekakwitha Church in Peshawbestown and is the not only the leader of the Ukulele Orchestra of Suttons Bay but also a member of the North Bay Celtic Band. Martha is dedicated to her students’ success and is a brilliant guitarist. Martha’s last statement regarding the draw to live up here was, “Our county has flavor and soul,” and she loves it.
