Ohana Records
Ohana Records gives students the chance to explore the world of music from the very first note, whether they're beginners or experienced musicians. Students learn to play instruments, write songs, and perform, gaining confidence and discovering their own musical voice. They collaborate with peers in class, perform at school events, and build the teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving that come with making music together. Ohana Records also gives students the chance to record their own music in professional studios, a firsthand look at the recording process that most musicians never get.
A real studio, on campus
Our music program is anchored by a professional-grade recording studio built on campus by Lee Brice and his team. It is where students learn instruments, track original songs, and find out what a producer hears.
The program is led by teachers who have lived it: Jonathan Mitchell, the school's first teacher, toured nationally with his band before founding the band program in 2011. Josh Fox studied jazz at Eastern Illinois and Columbia and has toured with Steel Magnolia, Buddy Guy, and John Oates. Jim Couch has been a professional musician since 1983.
Rock on the Road
For high school students, Rock on the Road takes the music experience even further. Students work together all year to write original songs, perfect playlists, and develop the skills a band needs to succeed. They plan and execute real tours, performing at other schools, coffee shops, and events, and they record their songs at professional recording studios. Along the way they handle lighting, scheduling, equipment management, and tour logistics while traveling together, riding in vans, staying in hotels, and experiencing life on the road. Created in 2015, the program has taken students across the country to use music as a way of giving back to communities, with an annual trip to Nashville to see the business of music up close.
Ohana's Rock on the Road program helped me find my voice. I've learned that music takes patience and hard work, but it's worth it when I'm on stage connecting with the crowd, and I'm not worried about what anyone else thinks.Louis Petty, Ohana Class of 2026
What students take away
- Instrument skills, songwriting, and performance experience from the first year.
- Studio recording, from tracking to mixing, in a professional room.
- The logistics of a real tour: scheduling, equipment, lighting, and getting a band from one town to the next.
- Confidence in front of an audience that carries into every presentation they give.
- An introduction to the music business from teachers who have worked in it.
