Part classroom lesson, part real life problem-solving and a whole lot of rock ‘n’ roll has defined the school day for students at Foley and Gulf Shores high schools recently. 

The students have spent the last few months serving as the stage managers, producers, promoters, designers, artists and even the roadies who carry in the amps and guitars for the popular Reach and Teach program. The initiative teaches students real-life skills by challenging them to take on the job of producing a concert on campus. Working in the music industry rates as a dream job for some, at these high schools, students are also learning it's a lot of hard work. 

"The kids are really in the driver's seat for this entire production," said Jimmy O'Cain who teaches music production and engineering at Foley High School. "The life skills the kids are learning through this program are next level." 

O'Cain said the program's hand-on approach is what makes it so successful. 

"I don’t think kids, especially today, learn by us telling them how something works," he said. "Kids learn better by us saying, this is kind of how it works, let's get in and figure this thing out". 

"The more kids get to dig in and get their hands around what's going on, they really feel like they take ownership in the product, and we really start to see some of them start to take off," he said. "When you take boundaries away and say that it’s not just about the test anymore, and just let them go, it’s amazing what they will achieve."

"At the end of the day, they’ve learned more in being able to put this together than they were ever going to learn out of a textbook," he said. 

Reach and Teach was founded about 10 years ago by April Clark, a former Colbert County high school marketing instructor and Cam Flener, lead singer of the popular high energy, hair metal rock band the Velcro Pygmies, as a way of helping teach life skills. The program has grown exponentially since then, expanding into nearby states and hosting dozens of concerts a year. While the Velcro Pygmies remain a staple of the program’s concert rotation, other local acts volunteer their time as well. 

Before the stage is set, students in the classroom complete nine lessons to prepare for the event that covers everything from goal setting to day-of operations. O'Cain said watching his students make connections in the community and take command of those leadership roles was the most impressive part of the process. 

"They were actually getting into the community and talking to people and writing donation letters and setting the donation amounts. I was floored. They really took ownership of this," he said. 

On concert day, the students get to hang with the stars. The performers spend several days with the students, working with them to set up the stage and prepare before the show. The band can usually be found eating lunch in the cafeteria with their new crew too. 

"They love working with students," said Ashlyn Stutts, programs manager for Reach and Teach. "They're such good mentors. They really want to get to know the kids."

The concerts are set for April 1 at Gulf Shores High School and April 2 at Foley High School. To learn more about Reach and Teach, visit www.reachandteach.rocks.