After a successful career as a recording artist, David “TC” Ellis created Studio 4 in St. Paul to spot budding music stars. It became a hangout spot for creative young people, most of whom had “dropped out of school due to boredom and a sense that school wasn’t relevant to their lives and dreams.”

Ellis began thinking about a new kind of high school that would reengage learners through musicology and “put them on a positive tangent.” He created a pilot program for 15 learners in 1996. After being blown away by their genius and with the support of community groups, Minnesota’s early charter school policy, and a grant from Edvisions, Ellis and colleagues opened the High School for Recording Arts in 1998.

For Ellis, it was spiritual and for the students, HSRA became a haven. HSRA now serves about 320 students with personalized project-based learning through an asset-based approach. Through the lens of Family, Respect, Community and Education, most students engage in courses that teach music production and the business of music. HSRA provides state-of-the-art music production facilities including two recording studios, practice rooms and a live performance room.

HSRA students also hone their business acumen through the first student-run record level. Another Level Records is a student-operated music record label that empowers firsthand experience in developing media content, negotiating contracts, and publishing music by HSRA students and other artists (See Four Seasons MacPhail Project).

Read the full article about the High School for Recording Arts at Getting Smart.