OCS students learn from Orcas Island musician Jim Bredouw

||| FROM ORCAS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL |||

Students at Orcas Christian School had an opportunity to learn from one of Orcas Island’s longtime musicians and sound engineers when Jim Bredouw visited the school to share stories from his career, projects and music.

Bredouw spoke with OCS middle and high school students about his experiences in music and sound engineering, taking students through several stages of his life, including his years as a guitarist, his career in sound engineering, his time in Los Angeles and his life on Orcas Island.

OCS humanities and guitar teacher Andy Rivera invited Bredouw to speak with students and share lessons from his career.

Bredouw told students that developing his expertise in guitar and sound engineering required thousands of hours of work and practice. His efforts eventually led to the creation of what became one of the largest recording studios in Los Angeles.

During his career, Bredouw also worked on commercial productions for Nike, with his work appearing in advertising campaigns featuring professional athletes such as Michael Jordan and Bo Jackson.

Bredouw later returned to Orcas Island, where he founded the Funhouse and continued his work in music and sound.

The visit also included a student performance. OCS students Sofia Rivera, Alice Estrella, Ben Millen and Jay de Haan performed selections from their recent Orcas Kids Got Talent performances for Bredouw.

“They were really engaged!” Bredouw said afterward.

Students said they appreciated the opportunity to hear directly from someone with extensive experience in the music and recording industries.

“He’s a nice guy. It was fun meeting him,” said sophomore guitarist Zak Beach-Yerly. Freshman Sofia Rivera said she enjoyed hearing Bredouw’s stories and seeing examples of his commercial work.

“I think it was interesting all the stories he told and watching the commercials,” Rivera said.