Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Meske.
Hi Shannon, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve always had a passion for working with kids ever since I was a kid myself. I always wanted to help with the babies, to sing to them, to play with them. I began working professionally in childcare in 2012 at a daycare while also beginning my career as a vocalist. Around the same time, I was exposed to my first American Sign Language (ASL) course and decided to shift my focus in college from musical theatre to ASL interpreting. In 2018, I graduated with my Bachelor’s Degree in Deaf Studies with a focus in interpreting and began to work freelance as a singer and ASL interpreter. As many people do post-grad, my schedule was cobbled together with whatever odds and ends I could book, especially since the majority of my work was freelance. My sister sent me a job listing to lead baby music classes in Sherman Oaks and I thought that it would be a really great fit for me. I immediately recorded a Disney princess medley, sent it over, and well, the rest is history. I’ve been working with What a Babe! Kids Studios ever since.
What started as a once-a-week side hustle grew into my full-time profession, but there were many bumps along the way. The biggest one being COVID, of course. The studio had to close its doors and we thought perhaps it would be forever. Soon, as we all had to, the studio adapted and began to run online classes, then private outdoor classes (which have now become a permanent fixture), and then we were finally able to re-open in 2o21 with myself as the resident musician. Since then, my role has expanded to work directly under our wonderful studio owner, Anissa, and manage our studio space and employees, run classes, and help to oversee all indoor and outdoor operations. It’s been a long journey, but a fruitful one, and I feel very blessed to be where I’m at right now.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely not! As many mom and pop’s know, the pandemic was absolutely devastating for so many of us. We were not sure that we would ever be able to open our doors again, and the financial strain was looming. As the owner, Anissa, often says “We’ve had to pivot many times.” We had to essentially cease all operations for an undetermined amount of time, and transition to online classes. Any person who experienced lockdown will tell you that any online classes, no matter how much effort was put into them, became monotonous after a while. One day, a long-time customer reached out about doing a private class of ours: outdoors, distanced, and with masks. We had to work rigorously to figure out logistically how to staff it, ensure that safety and sanitizing protocols were implemented and followed, and move instruments from their home in our studio to other locations. Then, we began curating a series of class curricula that could be learned and led by our music teachers. All of these things were, of course, very time-consuming, and at times, tedious, but we’re very grateful for it because now we have a robust collection of over 25 specially curated classes that our customers, indoor and outdoor, now get to enjoy throughout the year.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I love the question “What do you do for a living?” because the answer is everything! As I mentioned before, I’ve been a classically trained vocalist for nearly two decades now, and at What a Babe, I get to sing and perform every day. I also still continue to work freelance as an ASL interpreter when time allows. Additionally, working under our owner and managing the studio, gave me invaluable business insight that neither singing nor interpreting as a profession could have given me. I feel like I get the best of all worlds! On top of all that, I work for an amazing studio owner who treats me well and respects me and my time. Therefore, when other interesting professional opportunities come my way for singing or interpreting, she always supports my endeavors.
I also feel very lucky because at What a Babe, I get to utilize all of my skills. I know how important language is to a developing brain. In recent years, the understanding that Sign Language can be so beneficial to babies and toddlers has started to become more clear to a broader audience of parents. In addition to singing, I also implement functional and more importantly, accurate ASL signs in my classes, and I encourage parents and caretakers to learn along with the babies. This is because I believe that everyone can benefit from learning ASL. We know how great it can be for babies, but it’s also a wonderful way to connect with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community, connect with those who are nonverbal, expand our worldview, and so much more. Once again, I find it so rewarding to work in an environment where my expertise is not only utilized but also appreciated.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I remember really vividly this one time I was at the community pool as a child, maybe eight or nine. Again, I’ve always loved babies, and there was a woman there with her baby in the water. I approached her to ask her about her baby, and she indicated to me that she was Deaf. This was the first time I’d really ever interacted with a Deaf individual, but as a child, I had no hindrances, and I just began to gesture to her to try and communicate. She was really gracious and humored me, and eventually she let me hold her baby. I was so happy! This, to me, is one of those core memories that really cemented a few things for me. One of those was that in life, there are many perceived barriers to connecting with others. Many times, those barriers are imaginary, sometimes born from bias. I learned that with a little bit of patience, empathy, and sheer will, we find that those barriers weren’t really there to begin with.
Pricing:
- $35 drop in studio class
- $60 two class sampler in two weeks (indoors and new customers only)
- $165 private 5 week music series (contact the studio to get started)
- $235 private 5 week mixed music and sensory series (contact the studio to get started)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.whatababe.com
- Instagram: whatababe
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/what-a-babe-kids-studio-los-angeles-2?osq=what+a+babe
Image Credits
All rights reserved by What a Babe! Kids Studio
