FOLEY — Student-led band The Noise is proving education doesn't stop once the dismissal bell rings.

The Noise, which features students from Foley High School's music production courses, is only in its first year but is already testing the boundaries of what music education can look like for both Baldwin County and the state of Alabama.

The music production and engineering class began during the 2020-2021 school year, offering students the opportunity to learn music theory, sound equipment setup and terminology. Students also explore the legal side of music business while collaborating with the theater program for events and performances.

Jimmy O'Cain, one of the instructors, said all the students enrolled must meet a basic music training prerequisite and are then assigned a role in the class based on their strengths.

"If a student is a guitar player or vocalist, we try and gear them toward that," O'Cain said. "If the students are more into the production side, we gear them toward that. This needs to be a place where they can express what they are strong at."

"The Noise is centered around this class, and when we make the schedule, we take the kids more interested in actively playing in live performances," O'Cain said. "The other students in the class who aren't interested in live performing still can actively play, away from the public eye."

Jaylon Jackson, an 11th-grade drummer and bass guitar player, said he became interested in joining after touring the school as a new student.

"I moved from Fairhope last year, and Mr. O'Cain took me on around and showed me the studio before we moved over here," Jackson said. "I was like, 'Wow OK, this is definitely a class I want to take,' and I took the music production class last year and loved it."

Jackson said he was excited when he learned there would be an opportunity to get involved in a student-led band.

"The main purpose of the class was to learn how to mix and master music to produce your own song," Jackson said. "He saw that a lot of us knew how to play different instruments and suggested putting a band together."

This year, The Noise has gone beyond the classroom, performing at several community events such as the Baldwin County Teacher of the Year banquet and a full-scale, student-run rock concert held at Foley High School earlier this month.

Blaine Hudson, a 12th-grade rhythm guitarist, said he was drawn to the live performance opportunities.

"I really wanted to take this class because of the gig part and actually getting to play live," Hudson said. "We all listen to different genres, but being able to come together and pick out songs we like and playing with these guys made it really fun."

Aiden Harris, a 12th-grade lead guitarist, said the band's name is representative of their goal to reach audiences by playing a wide range of music.

"We aren't just one genre. We try to account for everyone, and that's what inspired our name The Noise," Harris said.

"You can really see it in our setlist," Jackson said with a laugh. "We go from hair metal to '90s grunge all the way to Fleetwood Mac."

Evan Jarmon, an 11th-grade bass guitar player, said being in the class has inspired him to try his hand at original music.

"I've been working on bigger orchestrations, and in here I have the computer which has software that I can use to help me," Jarmon said.

While most of the major performances for the school year are over, the band is preparing for one final spring concert in May.

O'Cain said faculty members from the music program are currently in the early stages of creating a musical pathway for audio production, working with the Alabama Department of Education to add the course as an official career technology education class in the coming years.

"Everything we have started here we want to continue, because this is the kid's direct application to real life," O'Cain said. "We want students to have hands-on experience and learn that it is not just about the recording, live performance or stage production. We have opened the floodgates on this and what we are doing is changing the state of Alabama, showing that music is a viable career source and that is huge."