Merry Melody Music Academy expands with Detroit Lakes branch, Hawley theater bid

Merry Melody Music Academy’s push beyond Lake Park has turned into something bigger than a second studio. With a branch now in Detroit Lakes and a move under way to acquire Hawley’s historic Garrick Theatre, the academy is building a wider arts footprint that could cut travel for families, add performance space for students and keep more creative activity in the lakes area.

Leah Knight established Merry Melody Music Academy in Lake Park in 2020, and the school says it has grown quickly since then. Its chamber listing describes it as a full-service center for music, art, DIY, acting, film and more, serving students of all ages and levels in Lake Park, Detroit Lakes and the surrounding lakes area. The academy says its goal is to make learning music fun while helping students build confidence and peer relationships, a pitch that fits a region where parents often look for activities that go beyond the school day.

For families in Otter Tail County, the practical value is easy to see. A Detroit Lakes branch means one more nearby option for lessons and group programming, instead of more driving between towns for instruction, rehearsals and performances. The academy has also promoted acting-class partnerships and student performance opportunities in local social posts, which suggests the expansion is designed to give students more than private lessons. It is trying to create a place where young performers can learn, collaborate and eventually appear on stage.

The Hawley theater plan takes that idea further. A Detroit Lakes Tribune video said the Merry Melody Council for the Arts was purchasing the historic Garrick Theatre in Hawley. The building had been open before 1925, seated 270 people and remained part of community life in later years, including as the worship site for Living Grace Lutheran Church, which holds Sunday services there at 9 a.m. The move points to adaptive reuse: a historic venue gaining a new role in the area’s arts economy.

Detroit Lakes already offers a model for that approach. The Historic Holmes Theatre has long served as a community performance venue for local theater and musical productions, showing how an older building can become a durable civic asset. If Merry Melody succeeds with the Garrick, the academy would add another place where lessons can lead to live performance, and where young musicians and actors from Lake Park, Detroit Lakes and surrounding communities can build experience without leaving the region.