Five haumāna (students) from the University of Hawaiʻi Bands traveled to the Valley Isle to share their talents and help inspire haumāna at three Maui schools on November 20. In particular, their visit to west Maui aimed to help uplift the community devastated by the August wildfires.
The members of the UH Bands Reed Quintet (Erin Matsushita, oboe; Mikey Han, clarinet; Hoku Matsushita, saxophone; Jake Yoshimura, bassoon; and Alice Choi, bass clarinet) visited Lahainaluna High School, Baldwin High School and Maui Waena Middle School. They performed for the students and played alongside them in their music classes.
The quintet’s performance featured a selection of Hawaiian songs, including music specific to Maui, including the Maui Waltz and Kananaka, a classic legend about a mermaid who lived in waters off of Lahaina.
“We’re thankful for the opportunity to contribute to our neighbor island music communities,” said Director of Bands Jeffrey Boeckman, who accompanied the students. “We’re so happy to visit with our Maui music communities, and be able to play for and make music with these wonderful students. We’re also very grateful to Southwest Airlines for their support of our visit.”
The UH Bands program is housed in the UH Mānoa Department of Music.
