Kaulana Nā Pua with Raiatea Helm by Ellen Kehoʻohiwaokalani Wright Prendergast | Hawaii Videography
Kaulana Nā Pua with Raiatea Helm by Ellen Kehoʻohiwaokalani Wright Prendergast arranged by Michael-Thomas Foumai, UH Mānoa lecturer.
Giving back to the community is at the core of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa band program and its generosity was on full display in March 2021. With many school band programs unable to meet in person for more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UH Bands organized the first-ever Hawaiʻi high school virtual honor band, which released two video performances. Approximately 50 students representing 24 different high schools on four islands were selected to participate in the online event.
person singing on a zoom screen with dozens of other faces in boxes
Students received instrumental lessons with UH Mānoa faculty, met and worked with guest composers, and talked with Hawaiʻi’s own singer/songwriter/musician Raiatea Helm about her career in music and the meaning behind the mele (song) Kaulana Nā Pua, which she performed with the students. They then individually recorded their own parts, which were assembled into video performances.
UH Mānoa Director of Bands Jeffrey Boeckman saw this as a chance for young musicians from across the islands isolated due to the pandemic, to come together and make meaningful music.
Video created by Oahu Films
www.oahufilms.com
