We were lucky to catch up with Kaylene Clark recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kaylene , thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
Two years ago, Kids Can Sing was found on the principal of creating a safe and affordable space for all children, regardless of race, religion, socioeconomic status, or “superhero ability” (such as ADHD, Autism, Down Syndrome, Tourette’s Syndrome, etc) to freely express themselves through music and art. While there are many other performing companies for children in Fresno, Kids Can Sing’s mission alone has separated us from the others as we are able to provide an inclusive space for all children, at little to no cost to families. This mission is what has led to immense growth from a choir of fifty students two years ago to a full, comprehensive arts organization that offers five different programs for youth and now reaches hundreds of student participants and thousands of audience members.
I initially had the idea of starting Kids Can Sing about five or six years ago after working in public education and realizing students were only exposed to music thirty to forty-five minutes a week in the current system. I would teach students topics such as how to count rhythms, how to read music, how to sing with solfege, and more, but they were unable to retain this information week-to-week and it always required a large amount of review. Students in my classroom in particular would say things like, “Music is my favorite part of the week” or “I feel so happy when I’m in music class” and this is where everything changed for me.
I started to do a lot of reflection on myself and my life where I realized that music class was my safe space as well. I grew up in a family where my mother was an alcoholic and I had a broken relationship with my father, so choir and band became my space to forget about all of my at-home issues. However, I never performed in any shows because money was an issue and I wasn’t able to afford the external opportunities that were available. My high school choir director offered me free voice lessons and taught me audition pieces after seeing my potential as a musician, and that generosity changed my life completely.
Once I had the idea of starting an external performing arts group, I started to perform research and found that the external organizations that offered performing groups for children charged very high premiums for students just to audition. These fees ranged from $350-$750. That was when it clicked – I needed to start a group that was affordable, offered scholarships for students in financial need, and was inclusive of ALL people. I am proud to say that several years later, our organization has done and is doing that for so many kids. Kids Can Sing is the family I have never had, and that is the story behind our mission.
Kaylene , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Kaylene Clark and I am the Founder of the non-profit youth organization, Kids Can Sing. I have been a music educator for seven years and have been in the education field for ten years in Fresno, CA. Throughout this last decade I have taught music and choir to thousands of children from ages 5-18 in three different school districts. My current position serves two Title I schools – A Middle School and High School – where 92% of students are considered socioeconomically disadvantaged.
My route to becoming a teacher and business owner has been a complex one. Initially in high school I took six AP classes with the intent of going to UC Davis to be a pre-med student. However, one audition changed my life. I auditioned for the All State Honor Choir my senior year of high school and scored the highest in the state – a 92 out of 100 without any additional training. My high school choir director at the time pulled me aside and started talking about music education as a profession. I still remember the words today, “You have amazing potential in this field and you really need to pursue this.” He then offered me free voice lessons where he taught me two audition pieces and then sent me out on auditions. I auditioned for three schools – Fresno State, Fullerton State, and Long Beach State. I was rejected by Long Beach and was offered singing scholarships to both Fullerton State and Fresno State. I could not believe that I received a scholarship for singing!
Ultimately, I chose to stay in Fresno where I finished my Bachelor’s Degree in Music – Vocal Performance and graduated with honors in Arts and Humanities after writing an undergraduate thesis on Benjamin Britten’s Opera, “Albert Herring.” I initially had no plans on becoming a teacher and focused immensely on performing following my undergrad. I was accepted to prestigious opera programs such as The Brooklyn Opera Institute and The Berlin Opera Academy while also appearing twice as a Walt Disney Concert Hall soloist in 2016 and 2018. After two years of performing, I started to settle down and took up substitute teaching in between performing jobs. This is where I FELL IN LOVE with teaching. I long-term subbed for an 8th grade US History class at a Title I school with students in high-need. That led to me going back to school for my teaching credential and an incredible journey of changing thousands of lives – including the start of Kids Can Sing in 2022.
I am most proud that I have a career that I genuinely love and have built something that is a home for so many students. They say, “It doesn’t feel like work when you’re doing what you love” and I genuinely believe that is what has motivated me throughout my journey in education and with my company, Kids Can Sing. I work every single day and only stop to sleep, but seeing the students thrive, the smiles, the laughter, the music and the beauty they are able to create when working together is a feeling that far surpasses anything that can truly be imagined. These students are not only being given a safe space to freely express themselves, but because they are so comfortable with one another, they are also producing shows that attract thousands of people. These students are being taught to give back to their community through performances and through outreach. They’re taught to love without judgement. Everyone is a part of something so much bigger than themselves and that is what makes this organization so special.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Kids Can Sing has gone through a variety of different “growing pains” throughout this past year specifically. When the organization first started, I initially was paying to rent my classroom for a rate of approximately $88/day. My classroom, although nice for a choir, was not feasible for multiple groups. In addition, the school district I was working for was increasing their rates and was charging for custodial as an additional fee, so it started to get very expensive. These complications ultimately led to us seeking out new places to rent.
We started renting from a church last summer and while the church was very accommodating, the location was not for the majority of my families as it was located on the other side of town – about a fifteen to twenty minute commute. This led to a large decrease in enrollment during the fall season of 2023. Our programs went from approximately 120 students to about 70 total. As a result, during the Spring season of 2024, I had to develop an effective solution – which was to advertise to a broader audience outside of the ones at my school. This led to Facebook Advertisements, attending school musicals and plays to meet students in person, getting in touch with the local news stations, and more. This resilience to over come the challenge of not having as many students led to a brand new influx of students from all over Fresno. We are proud to say that we have approximately 240 students total across all of our programs this summer season and are looking forward to even more growth moving forward.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Our reputation has been built on ethics, good morality, and our mission. When people think of Kids Can Sing, they think of family and a place that truly cares about the kids. Up until recently, our shows were small but cute. They would be held at local churches or smaller venues that seated 3-400 people. People would come support, it wasn’t until recently where that started to really increase and change. This past season in particular, we had an influx of students and attention from our community, including several interviews on local news stations and being published in the Fresno Business Journal.
Because of this, we have been able to upgrade our venue and the amount of people we can reach. We just hosted our largest performance yet in an auditorium that seats 2100 people. This production, known as Descendants the Musical, brought in thousands of people across the span of four days. Establishing ourselves as a brand that genuinely cares, that isn’t greedy, and is about the children has established rapport among students and families. It keeps students returning to the program and brings in new families each season. This is why we currently have a 5-star Google Review Rating that we are extremely proud of.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kidscansing.com
- Instagram: @kidscansingfresno
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/kidscansingfresno/
