Kelly Blake, also known as “Queen of the Musicals,” has returned to Aitkin to teach high school choir, vocal music and direct the musical and one-act play for the 2022-2023 school year.

“I am happy to be returning to Aitkin High School after my retirement last year in order to support the students and to keep the music program going strong after my replacement took another position so close to the start of school,” said Blake. She continued, “With the teacher shortage in the state and nationwide, I knew the district would not be able to find a suitable replacement for the vocal music position.  When Dan Stifter contacted me to see if I could help, I made the decision, with my husband, to jump back into teaching music for one more school year. We had to change many of our travel plans for this year to be able to do this. I just did not want the students to have substitute teachers all year and jeopardize the presentation of the annual musical. As a teacher, community member and musician with a passion for music and theatre, I am honored to return to help out for this school year.”

She retired in 2021 after 24 years of teaching in Aitkin which started with general music, girls’ middle school choir and band lessons. Throughout the years, Blake grew the music program at the school and added to the curriculum. In “Preaching to the choir…” an article in August 2021 Aitkin Age files, Blake said, “My most tremendous achievement is passing on the love of music to my students.” 

Blake, assisted by her husband Gary, will work together on this year’s musical, “As far as the musical, I have not made a decision yet on which one would be best for the concert choir students yet. The musical will be announced sometime in November or December. I will also be directing the one act play and at this time I may be choosing a one act play that I have directed before!” 

happy to be alive

In 2012, during a routine eye exam, a small tumor was found in Blake’s left eye. She was sent to the Mayo Clinic and around Thanksgiving of that year, Blake had her first brachytherapy treatment for ocular melanoma, a rare cancer. “My ocular melanoma has been stable. I return to Mayo Clinic in Rochester for my yearly testing of my eyes including MRIs, ultrasounds and CT scans or X-rays. I have lost more vision in my radiated eye and have to have eye injections every eight weeks or less depending on my eye.”

Blake continued, “I am happy to be alive and enjoying life! Ocular melanoma can be treated but there is no cure just like other cancers. It is considered an ‘orphan cancer’ because it is rare and many people don’t know much about it.